7 “[a]Ask, and it will be given to you; [b]seek, and you will find; [c]knock, and it will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. Matthew 7:7
It was 1972. There was a war raging against North Vietnam. The economy was in the doldrums with rising interest rates. There was civil unrest, rising crime, increasing drug use. It was a time when abortion was about to become the law of the land. It was also a time when this writer heard the gospel and made a decision to follow my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. It was a decision I was glad to have made for now I had a good shepherd that I could call on when life's trouble comes. Jesus became the anchor for my soul. Love Song and Chuck Girard were two of my favorite artists I would listen to so much that the cassette tape actually wore out, but I listened to them to encourage my soul.
1972 was also the year that America saw the greatest revival with millions coming to a saving faith through Jesus Christ. When Love song wrote 'welcome back' it was about their salvation and finding Jesus after searching all of the mountain tops and all of the wrong places for God. Jesus's words 'Seek and you will find' is a reminder that we do not have to travel far to find the living Savior, but he is as close as standing and waiting for you to open the door and inviting Him in.
My salvation gave me the strength to weather the storms of this life. Deaths of parents, and in 2007 it gave me the strength to survive the death of my daughter, Maria, who was only 10 when she died. I knew through my own salvation that my daughter was with the King of kings and Lord of lords in heaven- a place I will go when my purpose on planet earth is finished. Until then, I have a mission to share my faith story to as many people I can find. When I look back to those days there isn't much different from today. War and rumors of war were swirling around back then just as they are today. Death and hopelessness is swirling all around. We all have been traumatized by the 2 year Covid lockdowns. We have learned to adjust with virtual meetings with colleagues, but for most of us we miss the human interaction we so desparately need. As Christian's our purpose is to worship in a church filled with other broken people, encouraging one another each week we attend. Since the start of the pandemic, I chose to trust my Savior and help lead a Grief share group in person. Yes, we followed the CDC guidelines, but I knew that grieving people need the human interaction to heal from their traumatic losses.
When you think about staying home and watching the church service on television, please remember that there are hurting people some who may have shown up at the church to give church one more chance before they decide to take their life that night- just maybe, if you had gone your faithstory might have persuaded them to follow Jesus Christ. Your presence might have saved that person's other relationships from falling into deep despair and sorrow.
The song, 'Welcome back' is a invitation for every Christian to go back to Church to grow and thrive. Seek and you shall find is a message for everyone to call out the name of Jesus. As more people come to the living Savior after finding that Government doesn't have the answer then I believe we will see a new revival in this country.
No comments:
Post a Comment