October 26th, 2013
Psalm 46:1-2 — God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea;
Through this week My mind has been running on thoughts of sheep and shepherds, and when our readings this morning included Jeremiah 50:6 it seemed to me that today’s devotion would have the failure of America’s shepherds as it’s theme. As Myra and I talked though, I sensed the Holy Spirit leading me another way, back to these verses in Psalm 46 which, coincidentally, was one of the first Bible passages to make a strong impression on me.
It saddens me that I feel some of the things I feel about America. For so long this country was not just the industrial powerhouse of the world, but also the faith powerhouse. It seemed like a mountain towering strong above so many others. Something happened this week that convinced me that the mountain has been carried into the midst of a sea of moral degradation.
There was a lot of excitement during the morning news program that we usually have playing while getting me ready for work. The movie is called “Shades Of Grey”. Let us not beat about the bush: It is based on a pornographic novel. Do you doubt my description? Wikipedia describes it in the following terms, “It is notable for its explicitly erotic scenes featuring elements of sexual practices involving bondage/discipline, dominance/submission, and sadism/masochism.” Pornography is defined as the depiction of erotic behavior (as in pictures or writing) intended to cause sexual excitement. I rest my case.
The morning news program is giving its approval to pornography. I am so glad I am not a parent having to explain that to a beloved son or daughter. But how did we get here? How did the mountain get carried into the sea?
The mountains look so strong, but the waves nibble away at the foundations, here a little and there a little, and suddenly — so it seems — the mountains crumble, cataclysmically, into the waters below.
I haven’t touched on the part that educators, entertainers, and news media have played in this tragic process. Perhaps my original sense that it was about the shepherds was right. That verse in Jeremiah begins “My people hath been lost sheep: their shepherds have caused them to go astray, they have turned them away on the mountains:” When legislators, time after time, make it clear that they will not take a stand on moral issues, will not support Biblical values, it is no surprise if the people follow like sheep. If the foundations are eaten away, if the highest authorities in the land cheer on the process, it should be no surprise when the mountain falls into the sea.
This breaks my heart … And yet, and yet … “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore will not we fear”. Even when the mountains crumble into the sea, God is still God. I am determined to pray constantly, to beg that He turns back the tide. Will you pray with me?