“Society is very messed up.”
Those words virtually leaped from the page of my little notebook that I used to take notes on my minister’s sermons in 2016.
A couple of days ago I had followed an impulse to look back through one of several such notebooks that I have stashed near my La-Z-Boy. Actually, that particular sermon was the first sermon that I took full notes on in that fashion, and that sentence was the first thing I wrote down.
And, wow, the scripture the sermon is based on is still so pertinent today that it’s almost eerie. The conditions of social rebellion in Israel and Judah that are described could pretty much come from today’s front pages or TV newscasts.
The passage was Micah 7:1-8. It’s utterly depressing. Well, that is, verses 1-6, are depressing – where all the sins and shortcomings are described. Indeed, Micah was depicting some of the worst of times in both the Southern and Northern Kingdoms.
But, thankfully, this sermon didn’t concentrate on that. Instead, the minister quickly pointed out verse 7 and said we can look to that verse to know what do in such depressing and deplorable conditions – “But as for me, I watch in hope for the Lord. I wait for God, my Savior; my God will hear me.”
Here’s my summary of the guidelines the minister offered:
– Focus on God and enter into a relationship with Him.
– Wait for God, and be dependent on Him. Sometimes it’s difficult, yet it’s very important. Consider Isaiah 40:31 – “But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary; they will walk and not be faint.” What a marvelous promise.
– Let God be our help. God will hear those who cry out to Him. Jesus told the disciples that in the coming days, if they asked anything in Jesus’ name, it would be done.
– Let God be our strength. Always remember Philippians 4:13 – ” I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” God is the God of the impossible.
– Let God be your light. Micah 7:8 says, “The Lord will be my light, even though I sit in darkness.” The verse also describes someone’s falling, but that person ultimately has the strength to rise. And note: It doesn’t say if we will fall, but when we fall.
– Let God be your advocate. I’ve done bad things. We all have. I want Jesus to argue my case. How about you? I want Jesus to bat for me. He’s never walked; He’s never struck out; He’s never hit a single. He always hits a home run, often a grand slam.
– Let Jesus be your payment, and let God be your salvation. We don’t have to amass a great amount of good deeds. As one hymn says, “Jesus paid it all. All to Him I owe. Sin had left a crimson stain. He washed it white as snow.”
– Let God be your everything. Again, to quote a song: “He is my everything; He is my all; He is my everything, both great and small; He gave His Life for me, made everything new. He is my everything. Now how about you?”
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Sallie Rose Hollis lives in Ruston and retired from Louisiana Tech as an associate professor of journalism and the assistant director of the News Bureau. She can be contacted at sallierose@mail.com.
