From My Perspective - - -

We are living in a unique and troubled time in History. It is unique because of the many opportunities,  possibilities and advantages that allow and enable one to make a positive contribution and impact upon the culture of our day. It is a troubled time because of a sense of hopelessness and frustration that is seen on the nearing horizon. As a result, many are tempted or prone to surrender to the inevitable and to give up to the overwhelming situations and events that seemingly surround a greater number of people today. In the year 2012, there is the echoing of political aspirants who suggest they have a solution and that hope is not yet lost – but for too many – their words are hollow and meaningless. It comes across as “same old, same old” or words that have been heard before – and believed – but the result was far less than one was led to believe and/or expected.

Is there hope for today and the immediate future? Can our culture be extracted from and rise above the quagmire of the mundane and broken promises? In a speech before the United States Senate in May 1966, Robert F. Kennedy spoke these words: “A revolution is coming - a revolution which will be peaceful if we are wise enough; compassionate if we care enough; successful if we are fortunate enough - but a revolution which is coming whether we will it or not. We can affect its character; we cannot alter its inevitability.” What does that mean? If it is a Revolution that returns the nation to its foundational principles and founding charter, that would and could make a considerable difference. If it is a Revolution that jettisons God from our culture and ushers in radicalism, that would result in failure, demise and enslavement.

Inscribed at the Gravesite of Robert F. Kennedy in Arlington National Cemetery are the words: “It is from numberless diverse acts of courage and belief that human history is shaped. Each time a man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring those ripples build a current which can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance.” Is it time to stand up for “an ideal” or perform “acts to improve the lot of others” or to champion the Biblical message that Hope in the Eternal God and confidence in Him is a way and means for one’s life and future? The answer is – Yes!

There are these words contained in the Lyric from Les Misérables – I Dreamed A Dream – that says: “I had a dream my life would be; So different from this hell I'm living; So different now from what it seemed; Now life has killed the dream I dreamed.” An earlier part of the Lyric says: “I dreamed a dream in time gone by; When hope was high; And life worth living; I dreamed that love would never die; I dreamed that God would be forgiving; Then I was young and unafraid; And dreams were made and used and wasted…” That haunting melody raises a thought and a question – Is Hope no longer viable? Is the future only bleak and filled with despair? What would life be like if God was returned to the equation and became the primary focus for one’s life and culture – is that what’s been missing and needs to be restored?

In Psalm 60:10-12, David expressed the conviction of his heart when he wrote: “Is it not you, O God, you who have rejected us and no longer go out with our armies? Give us aid against the enemy, for the help of man is worthless. With God we will gain the victory, and he will trample down our enemies.” In Psalm 146:3-5, the Psalmist wrote: “Do not put your trust in princes, in mortal men, who cannot save. When their spirit departs, they return to the ground; on that very day their plans come to nothing. Blessed is he whose help…whose hope is in the Lord his God.”The place where we need to be is given in Psalm 20:1,4,7 – “May the Lord answer you when you are in distress; may the name of…God…protect you…May he give you the desire of your heart and make all your plans succeed…Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.” Consider these things with me!