People Need the Lord.

"Everyday they pass me by, I can see it in their eyes. Empty people filled with care, headed who knows where? On they go through private pain, living fear to fear.Laughter hides their silent cries, only Jesus hears.People need the Lord, people need the Lord.At the end of broken dreams, He's the open door.People need the Lord, people need the Lord.When will we realize, people need the Lord?We are called to take His light. To a world where wrong seems right. What could be too great a cost, for sharing life with one who's lost?Through His love our hearts can feel, all the grief they bear.They must hear the Words of Life, only we can share.People need the Lord, people need the Lord. At the end of broken dreams, He's the open door. People need the Lord, people need the Lord.When will we realize that we must give our lives, for people need the Lord.People need the Lord."

We've sang this song a billion times before, but recently (past 3 days), I've been reflecting a LOT on it's meaning. As I read and digested every word and read and re-read the lines, I realized the truth behind the song is so sad. Recently, I've been noticing a lot about the world around me. After reading Jon's essay on his trip to Vietnam, I couldn't help but think over and over again how broken our world is around us. In economics, we watched the movie Sicko by Michael Moore. Just seeing how inhumane some of the actions were made me do a double take. Here are doctors who actually care more about the patient being able to pay fees then genuinely wanting to save them. One very young girl passed away because her mother's company wouldn't insure her unless she was at the company owned hospital. Lives for the sake of money. I found myself doing a re-examination on the situation, and it left me with a question. Many call the homeless, or people with disabilites, or people who are impoverished, as "unfortunate". But in reality

WHO ARE THE UNFORTUNATE ONES?

I remember hearing Bern's message from last year. Just a short missions moment on his trip with DOXA to the DR. How there was a man, without that much money and far from what we describe as "fortunate". Yet he sat calmly under a tree on his plastic chair reading God's word, the Bible, and being at peace. And then there are doctors, lawyers, businessmen and women all bustling about with grumpy faces and irritated attitudes. These people who we regard as "well off" or "extremely fortunate" with their hundred-thousand dollar homes and nice luxury cars. But when it comes down to it, everyday people pass you by. People living in pain and fear and only Jesus can hear their silent cries. We have to bring His light to the world where wrong seems right. There are so many people out there who have never heard HIS TRUTH. People who walk around broken and without direction because they haven't heard the beautiful love relationship we can have with Christ, the one we should SHARE with them and TELL THEM ALL ABOUT.

And it's sad, cause of the fact that IT'S SO TRUE. People walk on, and on the outside they laugh. But on the inside, they bottle things up and turn their backs to God. We have to understand that it's fact that people need the Lord. It's simply fact. We can't live without Him. Why? Because He's the air we breathe. He's the bread of life. He's our living water. He's the one who gave us all we are and all we have. Without Him, we can't survive and we can't live on. Because it's not for the world to judge who is "fortunate" or "unfortunate". It's not for us to say "He has a million dollar home and five luxury cars, therefore he's fortunate". Or for us to say "That man lives in rags on the street, and goes to the soup kitchen, therefore he's unfortunate". God does not judge. But what we do know, is that.. for those of us who know Him as our Lord and know of His beautiful and everlasting love and saving grace, WE ARE FORTUNATE. To know and have the oppertunity to feel the love that fixes broken dreams, pain, fear, emptiness, lost direction, and gives us the strength to move on.

"He gives strength to the weary, and increases the power of the weak.Even youths grow tired and weary,and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength.They will soar on wings like eagles;they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint." ~ Isaiah 40:29-31

So everyday, let us live reminded that.. it's not... our grades, our future careers, our money, our houses, our posessesions or anything else worldy, that makes us fortunate. It's not a matter of whether we have food, shelter, clothes, or water. Because God is the source of all good things. He gives us power to go through anything and through His power, we can be what he wants us to be. So let us remember it's not by worldly standards which tell us whether we're fortunate or not. It's simply a matter of : Do you know God?