It’s been a tumultuous season in the streets of America. The scourge of coronavirus almost pales in comparison to the widespread rioting and looting, all of it sparked by the brutal actions of a rogue police officer that resulted in the death of George Floyd. Like me, you could easily say, “I have seen violence and strife in the city” (Ps. 55:9). We are witnessing America’s “dividing wall of hostility” (Eph. 2:14).
Racism has long been systemic, but now frustrations have led us to a breaking point. We are grieving the loss of life, the rage that resulted, and the untold damage to lives and to our communities. For years, the U.S. has tried to legislate away racism with landmark civil rights laws, but federal statutes do not uproot prejudice from the heart. I recall being at the White House when the Americans with Disabilities Act was signed into law. That same day, one of our nation’s leading advocates said, “There’s now a historic law on the books, but it does not guarantee justice. Discrimination is a problem of the heart.”
It’s why when we constructed our Joni and Friends’ headquarters, I chose Amos 5:24 as the first Bible verse visitors would see when they entered our lobby. Written at the base of the chapel, it says: “But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.” If justice is to roll on, and if righteousness is to flow like a river across our country, hearts need to be transformed.
Nehemiah faced the same problem. When he saw his beautiful Jerusalem in shambles, its walls torn down and its people murdered in the streets, he said, “I sat down and wept and mourned for days” (Neh. 1:4).
His response is one many of us can relate to. Perhaps a terrible crime has ripped apart our quiet little town, or a drug raid has exposed a frightening underworld in our neighborhood. But how many of us do what Nehemiah does next? He fasts and prays for his nation. But he doesn’t leave his prayer in God's hands; he does something. He offers himself as God's agent of change. Nehemiah was no community-organizer; he was merely “a cupbearer to the king.” But he knew he was God’s man for the job of rebuilding and reconciliation.
For want of prayer, fasting, and social action, America the Beautiful is crumbling under that same “dividing wall of hostility” spoken of in Ephesians. Our treasured nation no longer rallies around a moral consensus comprised of healthy social norms. It is a day not unlike Nehemiah’s. Our sovereign God obviously hears our prayers for our country, but will you take the next step? Will you pray? Then, like Nehemiah, will you get actively engaged in God’s plan to bring about spiritual and social reformation?
Jesus says in Matt. 5:9, “Blessed are the peacemakers.” So, reach out to others. Pray about inviting a neighbor of a different race over to dinner. Open up the conversation, listen and ask questions. If your friends or associates make hurtful remarks that deal with race, hold them accountable. Most of all, pray for revival. Legislation will not transform hearts, but the gospel message of Jesus Christ will. When we live out the Good News in word and deed, when we become salt in our communities and win people to the side of our Savior, we will experience the blessing of being a peacemaker.
I am praying that God will use the seismic social upheaval in America to lay the groundwork for national revival. I also believe that cultural change starts with me… and you, too. Because God is not looking for people with degrees in criminal justice or social policy─he’s just looking for cupbearers like us.
