National and Spiritual Disillusion

As one looks out over the landscape of our nation, it is obvious that there is intense disillusion in the hearts and minds of people everywhere. The economy is weak, the culture is depraved, society is falling apart and there seems to be no relief in sight. To say that people are disillusioned may even be an understatement. Disillusion means a disappointment resulting from the discovery that something is not as good as one believed it to be. To cause someone to realize that a belief or an ideal is false. During each political season, we are told by those aspiring to elected office what they can do to make things better. They promise to remedy the problems and make life better for everyone. Those that come across most credible and sincere are elected. People vote based on what they believe about the candidate and the actions they promise to take. It doesn’t take long, however, to recognize the inability for the new leader to achieve all that was promised. People soon become disappointed because they discover that the one they voted for is not as good as they believed them to be. This is the epitome of disillusion.

I once read a story about an elderly woman who stood on a very busy street corner in rush hour traffic. She was fearful, confused, and therefore hesitant to cross by herself. Finally, a gentleman came up to her and asked if he could cross the street with her. Grateful and very relieved, she took his arm and stepped into the busy intersection. As they proceeded, she grew progressively alarmed as he zigzagged randomly across the street, to the blare of horns and screech of locked brakes. Finally, after reaching their destination, she turned to the gentleman and complained, “You almost got us killed! You walk like you’re blind.” “I am,” he replied. “That’s why I asked if I could cross with you.” She became disillusioned. The man who she thought was a steady arm and sufficient guide was actually desperate for guidance himself. He didn’t have a clue!

I remember Jesus speaking of “blind guides.” When the blind lead the blind, they both end up in the ditch! This is the condition of our community, our culture, sometimes the church and certainly our country.

We live in a fast paced, fast changing culture. Living in Post-Christian America, we are constantly blitzed by powerful influences such as the media, peer pressure, social trends, moral relativism, culture driven religion and cults, each of which can lead us astray! Just think about the various ideas and voices that are drifting through our culture. Everyday we hear things like:

“There are no moral absolutes.” “All religions lead to the same god.” “You are one with nature.” “If it feels good, it must right.” “No one has the right to tell you how to live your life!” “If what I am doing doesn’t hurt anyone, it’s okay.” “Women should have a choice to abort their babies. It’s their bodies.” “Animals are people too.”

Ideas, voices, and choices like these, can place us on a course of destruction.

What is even more disturbing and dangerous is the reality that there is a growing lack of discernment among Christians these days. This lack of discernment results in a failure to see the issues clearly, to think things through, to see the implications of actions, choices and decisions.

The reason this is important is due to the imaginary belief that the church is not supposed to speak to these issues, particularly on political, social and economic issues. Yet the whole council of God involves all issues relevant to life and liberty – personal, family community and nation.

Certainly we may look at all that is happening in our culture, in society and in Washington DC and say it is most definitely tragic. But I am someone who radically believes in the sovereignty of God. I believe that nothing that is taking place in this world has caught God by surprise! Psalms 103:15-19 says,

“As for man, his days are like grass; he flourishes like a flower of the field; 16 the wind passes over it, and it is gone, and its place knows it no more. 17 But the steadfast love of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him, and his righteousness to children’s children, 18 to those who keep his covenant and remember to do his commandments. 19 The Lord has established his throne in the heavens, and his kingdom rules over all.”

In other words, God has the last word on everything even concerning the current events of our day. Our nation spends too much, intervenes in the affairs of men too much, listens to the people too little and adheres even less to the principles of God’s Word. We have a society that is tolerant to unhealthy and immoral relationships with an effort to redefine marriage. We have a culture of death on the rise with disrespect for the rights of the unborn. We have animal rights that have surpassed human rights; we have soldiers in prison for killing terrorists and terrorists who have killed soldiers being released with rights they do not have.

Obviously, these are things that can be defined as tragic situations. Tragic is defined as suffering extreme distress or sorrow and indeed there is distress and sorrow being felt by many. The question for us is will these tragic situations become permanent conditions? Will they define us as a people, a nation and society? Or is there hope for triumph through transformation?

It is true that our problems are not due to human carelessness but are due to pride, greed, fraud, sin and wickedness.

I read a sermon preached by Karl Barth on Sunday, April 21st, 1912, one week after the sinking of the Titanic. Barth stated that the Titanic did not sink because of a failure of technology. The Titanic, which was on its maiden voyage, was the largest, newest, most expensive, and fastest ship ever built and contained within it the most advanced technology of its day. From a technical side, every available safety feature was built into the ship’s design. The ship was declared to be “unsinkable.”

The Titanic sank, not because of some technological deficiency. It sank because of human greed and error. The Titanic sank because the captain of the ship was under an enormous pressure by the ship’s owners to break the speed record for the shortest time from England to the United States. He did not have the safety of his passengers at the center of his attention.

It wasn’t that the captain of the Titanic did not know that the waters of the North Atlantic are some of the most dangerous in the world. Cautious sailors always cross this icy expanse with great care. Indeed, many make a detour around it. But the captain of the Titanic had other things on his mind. He was trying to break a speed record and so the ship sailed at full speed day and night and took the most direct route. According to one witness, when the captain continued to be warned by radio that there were great fields of ice around him, he ordered the ship’s radio to be cut off. There were 2200 people on board the Titanic, including passengers and crew. The ship had only enough lifeboats for 700 people. So 1500 people died that night. All of these deaths were due to human error not technological deficiency.

We are living in a day and time when the ship seems to be sinking and people’s lives hang in the balance. Something needs to be done! Your questions may be, ‘what can I do?’

There is a great need for a godly people! A prophetic people that can discern the times and speak life as well deliver life into a dark and desolate day. I want to challenge us to rise up to be God’s image bearers and the trumpet of Zion! We must become the ‘Sons of Issachar’ and take our place in our homes, our church, our community and our nation.