God Bless America, Please!
By Bruce Cannon
Mitchell County
We have all heard the expression, “Christmas In July.” The song below is actually a Christmas song sung by the group Casting Crowns. “While You Were Sleeping” has a tremendous message! It expresses the fact that while the Jewish nation was sleeping the Savior of the world was born. While they were sleeping (spiritually) He became man but they, like so many today, had no room for Him. While they were asleep He lived a life of love and light among them for years and they missed it completely! And they crucified Him! How could they have been so blind? So deceived? As I write this article mid-June for the July edition of the Blue Ridge Christian News several very troubling news stories have broken:
- A “Big Gay BBQ is being promoted to take place in Spruce Pine just off the Blue Ridge Parkway. How can this happen?
- The Joint Chiefs Of Staff have just celebrated gay pride month by hosting a ranking officer in the Navy who proudly boasts of his gay lifestyle. How can this happen?
- A sex-trafficking ring has just been busted in east Tennessee and included a Bakersville man. How can this happen?
- Several more businesses are closing in our area and many restaurants cannot have indoor dining or have closed altogether, simply because they cannot get workers. Why? Folk would rather get handouts rather than work which further busts the American economy. How can this happen?
The answer is: we have been sleeping as the Church. We have failed to take note of our spiritual condition and have not begged our God for mercy, grace, forgiveness, and help. Check out these words to “While You Were Sleeping” and see if they are not a commentary on our condition:
“Oh, little town of Bethlehem Looks like another silent night
Above your deep and dreamless sleep A giant star lights up the sky
And while you’re lying in the dark There shines an everlasting light
For the King has left His throne And is sleeping in a manger tonight, tonight
Oh, Bethlehem, what you have missed While you were sleeping
For God became a man And stepped into your world today
Oh Bethlehem, you will go down in history As a city with no room for its King
While you were sleeping While you were sleeping
Oh, little town of Jerusalem Looks like another silent night
The Father gave His only Son The way, the truth, the life had come
But there was no room for Him in the world He came to save
Jerusalem, what you have missed While you were sleeping?
The Savior of the world Is dying on your cross today
Jerusalem, you will go down in history As a city with no room for its King
While you were sleeping While you were sleeping
United States of America Looks like another silent night
As you were sung to sleep by philosophies That save the trees and kill the children
And while we’re lying in the dark There’s a shout heard cross the eastern sky
For the Bridegroom has returned And has carried His bride away in the night, in the night
America, what will we miss While we are sleeping
Will Jesus come again And leave us slumbering where we lay
America, will we go down in history As a nation with no room for its King
Will we be sleeping? Will we be sleeping?
United States of America Looks like another silent night”
With all the lawlessness pervading America today, with all the Coronavirus has caused, with the “civil war” between the races underway, and with sin abounding unlike any of us have ever seen, more people are talking about the coming of the Lord today than in recent past. They are using Scriptures such as Matthew 24:7,8 to ask, “Is this the beginning of sorrows Jesus spoke of in the Olivet Discourse?” Are we seeing the precursor to the Great Tribulation period? Are we so close to the coming of the Lord for His bride that wedding music is beginning to be played in Heaven? As we have our birthday this July the 4th pray with me that somehow, someway America can wake up, confess her sins and that God in His wonderful mercy and grace will be able to turn back this tremendous onslaught of evil that has risen up in our midst today. “God Bless America, land that I love,” PLEASE LORD. In Jesus Name, we pray! Amen!
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Reverend Bruce Cannon currently serves as the Senior Pastor of Bear Creek Baptist Church in Bakersville. Formerly he served as Director of Missions for the Bladen Baptist Association and he has served on the General Board of the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina.
You can read more Good Christian News from Pastor Cannon HERE.
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