Do It Again

 I sat in a parking lot today waiting on Brenda. I did not notice it at first. Off in the distance I saw it. Suspended high on a pole and waving in the breezes was Old Glory, our United States of America flag. It has been a while since I really stared at it. I took in the bold stripe of red and white. I fixated on the white stars against the blue canvas. 

Two emotions arose. First, I am thankful to be a citizen of this country. God could have planted me anywhere He wanted. I could have easily been born in China, Russia, Iran or North Korea. He chose for me to be born in the USA. Along with that great blessing have come many privileges. Freedom that I do not take for granted. Religious freedom which allowed me the opportunity to hear the gospel message over 40 years ago leading to Jesus saving me. I was afforded an education learning to read and write. I had the opportunity to go to college and graduate, and then post graduate studies earning a graduate degree. I met and married the girl of my dreams in Brenda. I was not subjugated to an arranged marriage. I was given the opportunity to follow God's calling for my career. Brenda and I were not restricted to the number of children we had. I cannot imagine my life without any one of our four sons. They have each enriched our lives immensely. All those blessings came in this great nation. Seeing Old Glory reminded me. 

A second emotion soon took root. I thought how far our country has drifted from God. I thought about the difficult economy where the likelihood of my children ever having their own home seems further out of reach. I thought of a country where people are so easily offended and where right is considered wrong and wrongs of yesteryear are flaunted openly in the public square. I see religious freedoms slowly being stripped away and few seem to notice. I see woke agendas being taught as facts to students in school. Brainwashing tactics are employed to change morality standards across society. I see weakened families, lawlessness abounding, and injustices increasing. We are degenerating as a nation at a rapid pace. We are on a slippery slope. 

The thought of Old Glory waving in the wind, and yet we are not near as glorious as a nation saddens me. I wonder what the world will be like for my grandchildren in the future. I wonder if we will survive more bad policies, invasions of our borders, and a weakened church. I wonder what madman will be insane enough to pull the trigger on the use of nuclear weapons. I do not want to be all doom and gloom, but I cannot shake the reality of the things I see unfolding before my eyes. 

Yet, there is hope. I am reading a book about past revivals. I read about the condition of the American Colonies before the First Great Awakening. In many ways, the conditions were not much different than things are today. People thought God was a figure made up in the imagination of men. They thought their reason for existing was to give themselves to the pursuit of pleasure no matter where that might lead. People spoke profanely. Religion ebbed at a low tide. Things looked very bleak for the fledgling colonies. 

Then, God stepped in. Using men like George Whitfield and Jonathan Edwards, the Spirit of God swept across the colonies in massive waves leading Christians to repentance and pagans to salvation. God changed the moral tide. We need Him to do it again. 

I read a story about General William Booth, founded of the Salvation Army, at his funeral that has stuck with me for many years. Great multitudes turned out to honor this great man of God who brought so many people to Jesus. The cathedral was packed. People lined the streets for miles as Booth's body was hauled to the cemetery for burial.. 

When all the funeral activities ended, the author went back to the cathedral. When he walked in he saw a solitary figure knelt in prayer. Through great sobbing he heard the same words being repeated over and over again. "Do it again Lord. Do it again." What the author learned later was the person praying pleaded with God to raise another General Booth to be used mightily in the saving of souls. 

The people of God must collectively pray for God to do it again. To do for us now what He did for the colonies all those centuries ago. To do it again. To send another great spiritual awakening across the land before the end comes. Do it again Lord. Please, one more time do it again.