August 14: “America Needs Jesus!”

4 Minute Read + Scripture readings

TODAY’S BIBLE READING:

Nehemiah 7:73b–9:21
1 Corinthians 9:1-18
Psalm 33:12-22
Proverbs 21:11-12

TODAY’S BIBLE VERSE(S):

Psalm 33:12 (CSB) “Happy is the nation whose God is the LORD – the people he has chosen to be his own possession!”

REFLECTIONS ON TODAY’S BIBLE VERSE(S):

As I read my Bible this morning and as I select the Verse for Today, I am also cognizant of the news headlines. Some of them are:

• “Gun nut in fatigues films himself walking into Walmart carrying an assault rifle and 100 rounds just days after El Paso shooting” (The Sun)
• “FBI and Facebook Potentially at Odds Over Social-Media Monitoring” (Wall Street Journal)
• “Recession odds rise as economists cut growth estimates” (MSN)
• “Iran is reportedly jamming ship GPS navigation systems to get them to wander into Iranian waters” (Business Insider)
• “4 dead, 2 wounded in Southern California stabbings” (Associated Press)

While these are some of the top headlines today, there are many, many more that remind us that we live in a sin-sick country. Racism, injustice, hatred, addiction, fear, and so much more are running rampant.

Psalm 33:12 (CSB) “Happy is the nation whose God is the LORD – the people he has chosen to be his own possession!”

Our Verse for Today would appear to be a haunting truth if it was posted at the bottom of the screen of any of the major news stories right now.

Why?

Because it does not appear at all that God is our Lord. While there are thousands upon thousands of Christians in America, we are losing the war on morality. As Adrian Rogers used to say: “What used to hide in back alleys is now paraded down Main Street.”

Pray for America, friend. Ask God to do what He must to bring us back to Himself. We have seen some amazing movements of God in this country. There have been times when the power and presence of God were experienced by thousands:

The First Great Awakening, The Second Great Awakening, and The New York City Revival are just a few of the mighty movements of God in our country that you can read about online.

I was in one of the revivals that swept our seminaries and many other institutions in 1995. It became known as the Brownwood Revival. You can do an internet search on “Brownwood Revival” and can also read a blogpost I wrote about my experience by clicking the following link. (“When God Showed Up – A Week I’ll Never Forget”)

Pray that God would do it again.

2 Chronicles 7:14 (CSB): “If my people who are called by my name 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.”