My Thoughts Today

By Mary E. Adams Ministries  Wasilla , Alaska 99654 

 

Today, the Lord has my mind focused on a picture of a solitary, lonely tree. I don’t really know why, except that many thoughts concerning it keep running through my mind. So I will keep writing until my thoughts might bring forth some nugget of wisdom and truth for us today.

   

·      People sometime bury loved ones under a tree.

·      People sometime bury treasure under a tree. 

·      It was under a tree that Deborah judged Israel . 

·      Armies have agreed to agree to oaths and sealed their surrender under a tree. So have lovers.

·      It was a tree that Eve looked on and desired its fruit, and fell into Satan’s trap.

·      Trees witness everything going on around them and some even have bullets that lie embedded in their trunks--bullets that missed some soldier but splintered their bark . 

·      Some have strong limbs that were used to hang both innocent and guilty. 

 

No doubt about it: Trees are important in our lives.

 

Such trees have also surely borne the brunt of a lot of wind, being alone.  Which means they must have been held and anchored deep into the earth, its roots entwined around some big rock.

 

America stands like that.  From her initial planting came forth a giant tree that had its roots anchored and held by a Rock deep in the earth: A solid rock—one that could not be easily moved or dug up.  People admired and desired the shade and ate the fruit that came from it.  Wind and lightning didn’t affect it because it had the ability to withstand the storms that came its way, as always another shoot would rise out of its strong roots that were entangled into that Rock. So the Rock was the secret of its endurance. But certain events constantly conspired against that tree that had attached itself into its crevices.  Men wanted to

 

·      Cut it down, then sell its wood or build themselves a house.

·      Uproot the stump and cut away its roots.  Burn it.  Plant something else there.

·      Then dig up the rock and move it away.

This is what we see happening to America in our day. And I cannot but cry inside as I hear the sounds of buzz saws and dozers now working to remove our precious Foundation Rock and kill the tree that struggles to live.

 

There is a map, entitled Historical Geography, which portrays American history as a conflict between opposing trees struggling to dominate the land.  One was the tree of slavery, planted at Jamestown , Virginia in 1619. The other, was planted by the Pilgrims near Plymouth ROCK in 1620,  and was called The Tree of Liberty .  Ironically, that very ROCK was later cut up and removed, and the tree died.  All that remains of that Rock are some pieces now in the Smithsonian. 

 

What happened to that tree and that rock is what I see as happening to my country America .  Our entire democracy was established when men and women planted the seeds of liberty and belief in God as the Rock of our salvation. Men later would rally around another designated Liberty Tree in Boston when our young country revolted against the British during the Revolution days.  Our roots were so wrapped around that concept, that we were able to withstand the strong winds that blew and the bolts of lightning that later tried to split us apart as a nation during the Civil War.  

  

 

But I want to close my article here by letting you read an excerpt from another that was written by a man of God,  Dr. Ricardo Enoch Nunez, minister in Philadelphia. 

 

The Rock

 

“I want to talk about the rock.   The rock of ages; the rock of our salvation; the rock of our strength.  It is through the unchanging hand of God through His son Jesus Christ that we are renewed in spirit, turned from evil and we uncover the repentant heart.

 

I’m sure we all remember in grade school when we learned of the pilgrims coming to the shores of America for the first time.  We recall that the Mayflower carried Englishmen seeking a new life, a change in their existence and for some, a place to hide from their crimes to a place called Plymouth Rock.  And so Plymouth Colony was formed.  Over time, these Englishmen sought independence from the monarchy and tyranny of England , and America was born. 

 

America was founded on that rock with the ideals of freedom and independence.  And as we fast forward through time:  through colonization, the evils of slavery, the Civil War, the emancipation of slaves, Jim Crow, the genocide and subjugation of Native Americans, the immigration of millions, racism and segregation, the Civil Rights movement, the free sex movement, homosexuality, the Abortion movement, the assassination of presidents and human rights leaders, we now view our present rock.  An America that has become rich and prosperous off the fat of the land and on the backs of people of color.  An America that places money, material possessions, stock portfolios and the latest electronic gadget before the very God who blessed this country with the abundance that it enjoys.  Much like Sodom , who became prideful and lazy because of its riches, America has become fat and slothful.  We hide our homeless in back alleys or drop them off in urban neighborhoods and then pass laws to keep them there.  We ignore the cutting pain of social and racial issues until they become open, gushing wounds.  And then we blithely apply a bandage to the problem and go on to the next fad or trend. 

 

And then we got a wake up call.  Every American remembers what they were doing when terrorists commandeered jetliners and crashed them into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.  Suddenly, centuries of racism and hatred faded away, as the citizens of this country linked arms and belted out “God Bless America ” with voices choked with emotion.  Even now, over years later, there are some who continue to be obsessed with determining just how something like that could be allowed to happen in a country that emanates such magnificent excellence such as America .

 

But in the days following what has now become known as 9-11, thousands of Americans flocked to the churches.  Devastated by the attacks, many sought the comfort and peace that can only be found in the church:  the rock upon which Jesus Christ built his ministry.  The religious community expected a repentance and revival the likes of which had never been seen in this country.  But after witnessing thousands of Americans being killed in real time on their TV screens, have we really seen the softening of the heart of America ?

 

In an article published in the Prophecy News Watch newsletter on September 13, 2006 we find the unsettling answer:

 

‘As the United States nears the fifth anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks, Americans are looking back at how their lives have changed in the half decade since that tumultuous day. How have their spiritual lives been affected? A new study…examined data…involving interviews with more than 8,600 adults, conducted right before the attacks and at regular intervals since then.

The study shows that despite an intense surge in religious activity and expression in the weeks immediately following 9/11 the faith of Americans is virtually indistinguishable today compared to pre-attack conditions….

In the immediate aftermath of the attacks, half of all Americans said their faith helped them cope with the shock and uncertainty. The change most widely reported was a significant spike in church attendance, with some churches experiencing more than double their normal crowd on the Sunday after the shocking event. However, by the time January 2002 rolled around, churchgoing was back to pre-attack levels, and has remained consistent in the five years since.

 

So Americans rushed to that rock of salvation when it seemed that all hell was breaking loose.  But when it appeared that their government had things under control; when it seemed that extra cocktail was making their outlook brighter; when they heard that the latest version of their favorite video game was hitting the stores, then their hearts hardened and their prideful arrogance reared its ugly head. 

 

Since 9-11 we’ve seen numerous attempts to remove God from various arenas:  in the Pledge of Allegiance, in courtrooms, in nativity scenes at public buildings and in city logos.  One would think that those passionate renditions of ‘God Bless America ’ were in fact, just orders for blessings on demand.   When we’re in trouble, we simply demand that God fix everything, make things better.  We become like the immature Christian who runs to the altar every Sunday, apologizing for their mistakes, never addressing the root of the problem, but simply evading or shifting blame:  it’s the terrorists, it’s the illegal immigrants.  But it’s never us.  It’s never our pride, our arrogance, our rebellion and defiance against God.

 

Could it be that the horror of 9-11, the droughts, the devastating storms of Katrina and Rita, the thousands dead, dying and missing, the plagues, the pestilences and the wars are a call from a loving God that our hearts soften and repent of our sin.  We read in 2 Chronicles 7:12-13:

 

12 And the LORD appeared to Solomon by night, and said unto him, I have heard thy prayer, and have chosen this place to myself for an house of sacrifice. 13 If I shut up heaven that there be no rain, or if I command the locusts to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among my people; 14 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.

 

It is a simple plea.  If my people who are called by My name; that is the name of Christ or to be Christ-like or Christian.  Those who hear the shepherd’s voice and recognize it as their authority.  Those who accept their calling to serve God with all their hearts and minds and souls.  If those people would simply humble themselves and pray.  If we could only soften our hearts, sweep away the pride and rebellion.  If we would only talk to the Father in faith and meekness.  If we would only submit and obey.  That act of contrition:  repenting and changing our hearts, our minds, renewing our spirits.  Then, that loving God, who is slow to anger and slow to judge; that God who loves us so much that He sacrificed His chosen; that just God who gave His only son to remediate the sin of the world; He would hear our prayer.  He would remember His promise; he would forgive our pride, our rebellion, our defiance.  He would restore us to Himself and he would heal the hurts of a race-torn, murder-filled, idol-worshipping land”.

 

 

MARY E. ADAMS

May 1, 2012