Watching a dragonfly zip in, out, and above a crowd of flag-waving Michiganders in front of the State Capitol in Lansing yesterday, October 4, 2016, I was reminded again of how vast an array of individuals make up the Christian segment of our population. There were young, old, and all the ages in between. Some were reserved while others were energetic, waving their arms and jumping around to the music being played. At least one elderly man brought his Bible, while others read from tablets, phones, and yet others seemed to be present without their “sword.” Even before the rally officially began, I witnessed some smaller groups of people praying together while others talked, laughed, or stood observing all the activities around them. To my pleasant surprise, there were also a few people scattered throughout the crowd with shofars, who would intermittently blow them until the rally started. As varied as this crowd was, they all had some things in common: they were here to listen to Franklin Graham; sin has affected their lives; and repentance—both national and personal—is their deepest need. We must become a broken people.
Over 8,000 people showed up and were given a call to confess various national, personal, and family sins and then to pray for our nation. Franklin Graham strongly exhorted Christians to meet in small groups in their communities for continued prayer, to get out and vote, and to get involved in the political process on any level they can. He encouraged people to get on the school board in mass and stand strongly against books that are pornographic in nature, to take back education, and to once more bring a strong Christian influence back to our state.
Rev. Graham wasn’t shy about calling out and standing against sin. Whether it was a denial of Islam or a pointing out that homosexuality or any other sexual sin was indeed sin—and that sin separates us from God—he bluntly stated that sin is sin. Regardless of one’s feelings, he stated that there is only one way to God, and that was by going through God’s only begotten Son, Jesus Christ—the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Pointing out God’s love, he then gave a call to repentance, encouraging people to pray.
It would be great to end with, “a nice time was had by all and we returned to our communities with a renewed vigor to live godly lives and continue in prayer for our country.”
Perhaps that is what I fear most—“a nice time was had by all…”
Franklin Graham was correct when he stated that he had no faith in the Democrat or Republican parties. He was correct when he said that our only hope was in God alone and that the people of America need to come to repentance. These are good words to cheer to and wave our flags at. However, when taken to heart, when applied to our lives, they are words which require brokenness and humility in our very own lives. “Brokenness and humility” just doesn’t resemble “a nice time was had by all.”
With over 8,000 people present, I only saw a small sampling. Without judging, for only God sees the heart, there didn't appear to be an overwhelming sense of brokenness or humility, but a nice time was had by all. What would brokenness and humility look like? I think that wicked city of Nineveh provides a fair representation. America is on the verge of destruction, just like Nineveh. This is what the brokenness and humility of repentance looked like then:
And the people of Nineveh believed God. They called for a fast and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them to the least of them. The word reached the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, removed his robe, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in ashes. And he issued a proclamation and published through Nineveh, “By the decree of the king and his nobles: Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste anything. Let them not feed or drink water, but let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and let them call out mightily (cry)to God. Let everyone turn from his evil way and from the violence that is in his hands. Who knows? God may turn and relent and turn from his fierce anger, so that we may not perish.” Jonah 3:5-9 (ESV)
After the rally, there was no lingering in tearful brokenness and no prostration of humility. I witnessed neither a real crying out to God nor testimonies of turning from sin. I did notice that people seemed to go back to the hustle and bustle of daily living…myself included.
Even as the dragonfly at the beginning of this article zipped in and out of the crowd, we too are often busy zipping through life, in and out of sporting events, entertainments, and social activities. Often we are too busy scurrying here or there to think deeply on the dangers to our soul, the very things, thoughts, and attitudes we must repent from. We are too busy to be broken and not hungry enough for humility. We are too preoccupied with our own lives to be focused upon the holiness and sovereignty of God. There’s a kind of pride which blinds us to our own need of humility while recognizing that need all too well in the life of another. That dragonfly would hover only for a moment in one place, resembling the difficulty we have in following the command to “Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.” (Psalm 46:10)
Boarding a ship for Tarshish, Jonah thought he might outrun the presence of God. The devil tricks too many Christians into boarding the ship of busyness, hoping to get them to outrun the blessings of brokenness and humility which are part and parcel of repentance.
Let us take advantage of the graces of silence, solitude, and meditation as our church fathers did and encouraged in those under their care. Instead of physical blessings, let us pray for the blessings of brokenness and repentance. Let us recognize that we have nothing of any value, thus driving us to God with importunity of prayer for these things we need most.
The next verse in Jonah 3 states, “When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil way, God relented of the disaster that he had said he would do to them, and he did not do it.”
God is sovereign and He will do with nations and people as He sees fit; but He is also a God of mercy and compassion. He calls us to repentance from evil and to holy living. I don’t know if God’s timeline has room for a restored America or not, but I do know that He continues to draw people to Himself and will use broken, repentant people, blessing them.
Last night, sleep eluded me as I was burdened and drawn to pray that brokenness and humility would follow those who attended the Franklin Graham event. That God would grab Christians and turn our hearts more fully toward Him. Pray with me that God will put within us a holy zeal for brokenness and repentance that burns the chaff out of our lives, leaving us standing in purity for Him. Pray that God will give us a hunger and thirst after righteousness, that we will glorify God and enjoy Him forever.
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