Jesus, We Need You

Dear Church Family,

My heart is broken today. The tragic loss of six lives in Nashville at Covenant Christian School has shaken us. Our hearts and prayers go out to the families of those who were taken so suddenly and senselessly. We pray for comfort, strength, and healing during this difficult time for their community and our nation.  

As we mourn, I cannot help but remind you that this tragedy is a symptom of a larger sickness that plagues our nation. We have a God problem!

America has sustained a deep and critical spiritual wound. My friends, that wound is far deeper and darker than we realize. We have lost our way and turned our back on God. We have become a society that has put value on the wrong things. 

The Wall Street Journal published an article on Monday entitled, “America Pulls Back From Values That Once Defined It”. It revealed that traditional American values such as personal responsibility, hard work, faith, family, and patriotism have cratered to unbelievable lows. A nation that forgets what is important, loses its way! America has so quickly turned its back upon our foundations that I fear there is no natural path to return. It will require sovereign intervention!

These traditional values have been rapidly replaced by materialism, inclusion, equality, and secularism. That has turned us into a self seeking, self serving and divided people. The price for this has been most deeply paid by our youngest generation that no longer has a strong, enduring foundation on which to stand successfully.

Predictably, our politicians are quickly coalescing behind their normal talking points that only address the surface of this sickness. We know the root cause is the sins we now normalize and celebrate. We also know that the cure is far simpler than more rules and regulations. It’s in a return.

We must return to the God of our forefathers and to His eternal, enduring truth. We must return to the divinely designed identity that each of us find in the image of our God. We must return to the biblical role of the home and family within society.   

We have forgotten that our success as a nation and society is based in these truths. We have forgotten that it is only through God’s grace and guidance that we can truly prosper.

Without a genuine spiritual awakening that dwarfs the First and Second Great Awakening, we have no future. We must turn back to God and embrace the values that made us great.  Church, I believe we were brought onto the earth of such a time as this!

As we reflect on this tragedy and the state of our nation, I offer this heartfelt prayer:

Lord,

I come to you today with a heavy heart. I mourn the loss of innocent life and pray for the families who now grieve. Comfort them and heal them. May they find resurrection in these ashes.  

I pray for our nation, that we will find our way back to You. Send a spiritual awakening that heals our land. Wake us up from our slumber and turn us from our sins before it is too late. Lord have mercy upon us.

I pray for wisdom and guidance for our leaders. May those who know You find the resolve to proclaim Your truth with boldness and may those who deny You be confronted and convicted with your Word.  

I pray for our church. May we be a great light shining forth in a dark world. 

I pray that you would bless us and keep us, that your face would shine upon us and be gracious to us, that you would lift up your countenance upon us and give us peace.

In Jesus’ name we pray,

Amen.

Pastor