LIVING ON BORROWED TIME
We have Brothers and Sisters in Christ that live, and suffer, in pagan lands. Today, right now in 2008, Christians are being beaten and murdered because they are Christians. But for the Grace of our God, we could have been born in these pagan countries.
Others were born in primitive, Stone-age conditions. They have no tools or infrastructure. They must constantly work just to feed their families. And they live in fear. They live in fear because of the culture of hatred and revenge that dominates in all these locales. I am speaking of those who live in the jungles of the Amazon, or the Philippines, or Borneo, or any number of places.
Brother Michael Dawson, a missionary born in the Amazonian jungle wrote Growing up Yanomamö 1. I have mentioned this book before, and I recommend it for your reading. In the book Brother Dawson tells of a conversation around a campfire after a long day of hunting. A native who had become a Christian asked why the people of the West, America and Europe, were blessed with many good things and could make anything they wanted, while his people were naked and if they needed a machete to clear land for a garden, they had to obtain it from the missionaries.
Michael did not know how to answer him. After some time of quiet thought, the Yanomamö Brother said, “Your people serve God. They follow Him and obey Him. God’s Word says that He is the source of all wisdom. My ancestors followed and served Satan and his demons. They have taught us nothing! They have kept us blinded here in the jungle!” 2
We who live in America are living on the blessings given to those who came before us and followed, served, obeyed and honored God. Despite the efforts of liberal educators, we know that the Founding Fathers were God-fearing men who believed in His wisdom and direction. Benjamin Franklin, during an impasse at the Constitutional Convention in 1787, famously reminded the delegates that during the Revolutionary War they prayed often for the Lord’s help. He suggested that at that time of impasse perhaps they should go to the Lord for direction in creating our Constitution.
And yet today our nation has not only removed God from all endeavors, it has turned its back on Him. How can we expect the Lord to continue His blessings? It is estimated that the number of babies aborted in the United States is over 45 million and approaching 50 million! Hitler was an amateur. I find it remarkable that after September 11th, 2001, Americans had the audacity to ask, “How could God have let this happen?”
On Sunday morning we see people jogging, concerned about their physical health. But they have no concern for their spiritual health. Americans claim to be “green.” They are more concerned about the creation than the Creator. The minister who prayed at Obama’s nomination preaches about “people-caused environmental problems.” What about the Gospel??
There is economic turmoil today, and I have no idea where it will lead. But America cannot expect to continue to receive blessings from the Lord. “Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you.” 3 If this is true, then the converse is true. If you turn your back on God, He will turn His back on you. America has turned its back on God. But He is still there for those who will seek Him, and His arm is not too short 4 to provide our needs.
If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land. 5
Endnotes:
1 - Michael Dawson, Growing up Yanomamö, ( Winepress Publishing, Enumclaw, Washington, 2006)
2 - Ibid., page 98
3 - James 4:8
4 - Isaiah 50:2, 59:1
5 - Second Chronicles 7:14