There are moments in history that are meant to be defining. Think about your own journey… so many of us had to come to rock bottom before we could come to our senses and realize our deepest need for recovery.
We are living in a time of history that continues unraveling the brokenness of our nation’s very fabric. We are a divided people and hell’s onslaught is relentless, seizing every opportunity to trap more souls in the death-grip of addiction and hopelessness.
Deep Prophetic Longing
But there is something deeper that rests within. You were built and destined for more. Like that sunrise on the horizon that comes up regardless of the hell it shines over, so hope still exists even amidst the darkness that seems to trap so many.
During times like these, God often speaks. Oh I know we have God’s Word and He has already spoken. But I find that there are these intersection moments of history where prophetic works of art collide with hell in a way that highlights what God has already said.
What has God already said?
Jesus came to a broken world and taught about His coming Kingdom being at hand.
His own people ended up rejecting Him and that message. It didn’t stop God’s plan from advancing though. Even right before going back to heaven, Jesus told His followers (Acts 1) that the Father had fixed the timing of the coming Kingdom by His own authority. Earlier in the book of Matthew, we read Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount (chapters 5-7) where He talked about living Kingdom of God realities. That Kingdom was addressed to Israel, but we learn through the Bible that all peoples have access to redemption and that the Kingdom of God is still yet coming for Israel and all nations!
Kingdom Collision & Recovery
Jesus lived in a day of kingdoms colliding… we live today as well in a collision of kingdoms. Don’t allow the kingdoms of this messed up world distract you from the coming Kingdom of God.
We stand in need of recovery… recovery from addiction, recovery from selfishness, recovery from hatred, recovery to our Creator God.
As far as those prophetic works of art I mentioned?… Two songs, one from a few years back and one from 2020 really capture this prophetic essence. Check out the lyrics behind each one and ponder how they really make you think. Christian or not, they reveal something critically important for our time as humanity.
“World on Fire”
By Daughtry
"Going down like a dead man walking
One step from a body in a coffin
Just one, one of the fallen
Waking up to a blood moon, howling
Can’t drown it out, even with the medicine
Tearing through me like a bullet of adrenaline
Arms heavy, face down on a death bed
Blame the gods while choking on the violence
In the end, silence is deafening.
Can you hear the cry like a thousand sirens?
In the night like thunder striking.
The sickness is rising
The angels are crying
That’s the sound of a world on fire…."
“Looking for Angels”
By Skillet
"Walk this world alone
Try to stay on my feet
Sometimes crawl, fall,
But I stand up ‘cause
I’m afraid to sleep
Open my eyes to a new
day, with all new problems and all new
Pain
All the faces are filled with so much anger
Losing our dignity and
Hope from fear of danger
After all the wars, after settling the scores
At the break of dawn
Will we be deaf to the answers?
There’s so much bigotry,
Misunderstanding and fear
With eyes squinted and fists clenched we
Reach out for what is dear
We want it, we want,
We want a reason to live
We’re on a pilgrimage,
A crusade for hope
‘Cause in our hearts and minds and souls
We know
We need it, we need,
We need more than this
Going through this life
Looking for angels
People passing by
Looking for angels
Walking down the
streets looking for angels
Everyone I meet
Looking for angels
So many nations with
So many hungry people
So many homeless
Scrounging around for
Dirty needles
On the rise, teen suicide
When will we realize
We’ve been
Desensitized by the world?
We’re oppressed and impressed
By the greedy
Whose hands squeeze
the life out of the needy
When will we learn
That wars, threats, and regrets
Are the cause and effect of living in fear?
Who can help protect
The innocence of our children
Stolen on the internet
With images they can’t forget?
We want it, we want,
We want a reason to live
We represent a generation that wants
To turn back a nation
To let love be our light and salvation"
Rise with Hope
So no matter what you face in your part of the world today, search deep within and don’t lose your glimpse of the hope God offers. The news stirs anxiety and division. Everyday life throws so many challenges our way. The enemy keeps reminding us of our hellish past.
Refuse to give in to the status quo or retreat. May we hear the call of God and rise to all He has for us. We want change in our own communities? Let’s be that change together Choose RCVRY fam! We can be a relentless force for God’s hope, pushing back against the enemy’s domain. To hell with the trap-houses, the needles, the bottle, the suicidal thoughts, the domestic violence, the sex-trafficking, the porn, and whatever else enslaves us. Those things are destined for hell. Let’s rise above all that and with relentless commitment, be the change this world so desperately needs!
Derek
Choose RCVRY
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