Infirmity

"Now a certain man was there who had an infirmity thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he already had been in that condition a long time, He said to him, "Do you want to be made well?" (John 5:5-6 NKJ)

Another chapter in the continuing saga of our government's shutdown. What has it done for the American people? Given us heartburn, stress, aggravation, shame, worry and anger. Politics . . . Manipulation of the people by the power-hungry for the unknown principle.

Complain? What good does it do? Political manipulation is just one more reality that multiplies the wrong in everyday society. It is like wasps that buzz around us as we prune our trees and gardens. It is like the warning light on a car's dashboard. What will be the results if we don't give it our attention?

Of course, the present political game is on our radar because it affects us now. Yet, memory has the tendency to slip away the further we get from an event. When the time comes for action, will we remember the hurts and failures, the ruin it has caused? Like our autos, will we fix the problems or continue to chug along in the old clunker, waiting for disaster?

The "silent majority" who for years have lain paralyzed beside the pool of minority interests and opinion may need to decide whether they are tired of waiting on troubled waters. Perhaps it is time to get up, roll up the bed and let the silence be healed. Perhaps the majority needs to stop listening and begin to speak out. Our freedoms may very well be at stake.

It is appalling how many stupid mistakes our government has made simply because the majority was silent and stayed home on election day. I am ashamed of several of the resulting choices and laws. But the freedom to stay home and keep silent has helped us become the country and people we are today.

For thirty-eight years the man lay by the pool, paralyzed by his inaction, missing the opportunity to live life to its full. Consider the aches and pains he endured. Think about the limitation of his life. Imagine how many people urged him to stop going to the pool. All he needed was a little help from someone who cared. And Jesus walked by, stopped to talk and the results was a miracle.

I do not accept the idea that majority votes or political power is the panacea for America's diseases and problems. I do not hide myself in a rose garden. I am proud to be born and raised in America. And the realities of this society do not escape my attention. I still believe that the solution for America is Jesus walking among us. I still believe there is a miracle for America. The question is this: Do we want to be healed?

Dear Father, thank you for our country and our freedoms. Forgive America for our failures and sins. Forgive our elected officials for their ignorance and ineptitude.  Forgive us all for our silence and failure to fully participate in the freedoms of the people, by the people and for the people. Have mercy and create a miracle that makes America well again. I pray this prayer in the name of Jesus. AMEN

Pray for America's infirmity today,