An Army Is Rising

"Once to every man and nation comes the moment to decide, in the strife of Truth with Falsehood, for the good or evil side."
                                                                                       James Russell Lowell, "The Present Crisis"




Each day it becomes more apparent that the answers for the woes of our nation will not be found within the arena of politics. As much as I believe in the  power of prayer and in the responsibility as believers to pray for our leaders, I still find myself at times at a loss for words at some of the machinations we are witnessing in this presidential cycle. It would appear that there are no boundaries of decency or principle that are collectively held in high esteem, let alone guarded or considered sacrosanct.

While I recognize that we are living in turbulent times, it is even more unsettling to observe so much compromise and justification for behavior that ought not be excused. Additionally, we are becoming more fractured and splintered everyday and there is little or no tolerance for people with varying opinions. In my lifetime I cannot remember a time where there was this much tension or where the campaigns were as bizarre as we have witnessed during this year.

The problem in our nation is spiritual blindness. Many do not see just how far we have strayed from God's Word and from His will  for our country. As a result, we are already paying a high price as violence and perversion increase while morality and decency are rapidly diving in a downward direction. Patiently, God continues to give us chance after chance to return to Him with our whole hearts but the majority prefer to find alternative solutions.

The prophet, Jeremiah, found himself living in similar circumstances. When Jeremiah was born, the most wicked king who had ever reigned in Judah sat upon the throne. His name was King Manasseh. The Bible tells us that King Manasseh was an idolater who "seduced [the people of Judah] to do more evil than the nations did that God destroyed" (2 Kings 21:9).

After Manasseh died, his evil son Amon continued in the evil practices of his father. Not only was there idolatry, but there was a blatant disregard for God's law and the practice of child sacrifice. Perversion of all that was true and right permeated this nation to the point where it appeared that there was no hope for this country that once had followed God.

In 639 B.C., some of Amon's servants rose up against him and assassinated him. Amon's son, Josiah, at the age of eight years old, became king. because he was so young and he had godly counselors like Hilkiah,  Josiah began to seek the Lord. Ultimately, he brought reformation to the land, but  transformation did not occur because the people still refused to repent. Therefore, God sent word that judgment was gong to come to their nation.

It is impossible for a nation to continually defy God's laws and His ways and without eventually paying a steep price for it. Because God is so patient with us it is easy to fall into the trap of believing that God will not judge our sin. However, this is a perilous fallacy. The German writer, Friedrich von Logau describes it this way, "Though the mills of God grind slowly, yet they grind exceedingly small; Though with patience He stands waiting, with exactness grinds He all."

After Josiah died, there were three kings who followed that led Judah back into immorality and idolatry. However, God was on the throne and He had a solution for Judah, just as He does for the United States. God called Jeremiah to stand against his culture and speak God's truths to them. To assist Jeremiah to bear up against his adversaries, God gave him three promises of what He would do: two visions and the words, "And they shall fight against you, but they shall not [finally] prevail against you, for I am with you, says the Lord, to deliver you" (Jeremiah 1:19).

The first vision God gave Jeremiah was of a branch of an almond tree (Jeremiah 1:11-12). The Hebrew word for almond tree is saqed. The most similar word to that in the Hebrew language is soqed, which means "to watch" or to "be awake". God was assuring Jeremiah that as he spoke God's words that God would always be awake to watch over His Word and to fulfill it.

The second vision God gave to Jeremiah was of a boiling pot that was tipped from the north to the south. This meant that God was going to use the nation of Babylon to be an instrument of wrath and judgment to Judah. But even in the midst of that, God gave Jeremiah a promise. He said, "For I, behold, I have made you this day a fortified city and an iron pillar and bronze walls against the whole land- against the successive kings of Judah, against its princes, against its priests, and against the people of the land [giving you divine strength which no hostile power can overcome]" (Jeremiah 1:18).

Jeremiah had a very tough decision to make but he said "yes" to God and answered God's call on his life. In doing so, Jeremiah had to forsake the opinions of man because his calling opposed the will of the people. Jeremiah was probably the most unpopular prophet in all of Jewish history and his days on this earth were definitely difficult. If you measured his ministry by human standards, you would probably conclude that he was an utter failure. In God's eyes, however, Jeremiah was a huge success. His name even means, "God will exalt".

Today, in our nation, I believe God is calling forth people who will wholeheartedly make the same tough decision to stand for righteousness and truth. The book of Proverbs tells us that "Righteousness and justice are the foundation [of God's throne]; mercy and loving-kindness and truth goo before [God's face]" (Proverbs 89:14). Individually we will make our choice, but corporately, with God, we will stand.

God is calling forth His army. The battle is real and so is the war, but God is the Commander-In-Chief that we can count on! The prophet, Joel, tells us that "the Lord thunders His voice before His army, for His host is very great, and [they are] strong and powerful who execute [God's] Word" (Joel 2:11).

This is the time that we truly need to seek God's face and adhere to His Word. We need Jesus in our heart with nothing that separates us from His protection. We are clothed in the armor of God with the sword of the Spirit in our hands. Then, we are silent and listen for our instructions, for our General has the strategies for victory and the individual assignments to accomplish His plan. Appointed for such a time as this, God's army is rising up all around the earth equipped and ready to speak and perform His Word!


"If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music which he hears, however measured or far away."
                                                                                                    Henry David Thoreau, Walden