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Emergency Rescue Needed: A Nation in Distress
Introduction:
Recently, I have been watching some videos on youtube – clips from some Rescue 911 shows. It dawned on me – this is just what our nation needs, an emergency rescue. Our country is in desperation, just like many of the folks in these videos. The problem is that many do not realize what is happening or that it is so serious. Others are too afraid to act. Others think someone else will do something about it. We are in desperate need of Emergency Rescue, or we just are not going to make it.
Lord, help us! And raise up rescue workers willing to risk their own lives and to sacrifice to save our nation, before it is too late!
Some of the reasons our nation is in such bad condition are the same reasons that some of the physical emergency situations got so bad before they were dealt with.
1. People are in denial. They see signs that something is wrong, but they don’t want to think it is that bad.
2. People are proud. They see a problem but are too proud to admit it needs to be taken care of.
3. People are afraid to admit that they are at fault. They do not want to think that they are part of the problem, or they do not want others to know they are part of the problem.
I Peter 4:17 says, “The time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God.” However, in order for judgment to begin in the house of God, God’s people must realize that they are part of the problem. The problem and the solution lie with them. “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.” (II Chronicles 7:14)
One story on the Rescue 911 videos really stood out to me. A man was camping in the back yard with his kids. It was hard for him to sleep on the ground, so he decided to use an air mattress. It can be hard work to blow up an air mattress. Because the man worked with heating and air, Freon was a big part of his work. It was readily available to him. So, instead of taking the time to pump the mattress up with air, he just got out the Freon, hooked it up to the valve on the air mattress, and let it quickly pump up. But, there was one thing the man did not think about. The man had a little boy, and boys will be boys. While everyone else was outside playing, the little boy decided to suck air out of the mattress. Only, the mattress was not filled with air.
Freon is heavier than air, and so it displaced the air inside the boy’s lungs. The father found the boy collapsed and not breathing and noticed the valve opened on the air mattress. What did the father do? He did not say, “Oh the dumb boy! He should have known better than to suck air out of the air mattress. Well, he is getting what he deserves.” No! The father did everything in his power to get air back into that boy’s lungs. Why? Well, for one it was his own child, and he did not want to see him hurt. Secondly, he knew that he was responsible for being careless and leaving danger in the boy’s way. When he recognized that he was part of the problem, he did everything in his power to provide a solution for that problem. The boy did live, and the story had a happy ending.
Let us think for a minute. Suppose the father had not taken the responsibility. Suppose he thought, If I admit what I did, everyone will hate me. Besides, the boy should have known better than to suck air out of an air mattress anyway. What would we think of that father if he had acted like that? Not much. But, the sad thing is that we Christians are part of the problem for our nation being in distress. Our nation has gotten into the poison of sin and the very life is going out of it. It is perishing, and we are partly responsible. Our nation is in desperation and is about to perish. We must realize that we are part of the problem and do everything in our power to provide a solution. We have the solution because God has given it to us in His holy word and through His Son, Jesus Christ.