OPEN OUR EYES
Living Stones Series: First Published in All Around Old Bridge Publication – January 2020, Pastor Lloyd Pulley
Do you remember the "crisis" of Y2K? People all over the world feared that the world would come to an end as computer systems shut down at the 12:00 hour on New Year’s Day. Governments and businesses spent millions to avoid catastrophe. There were even rumors that planes would fall from the sky at midnight. All of our institutions were at risk – hospitals, universities, businesses and even the government itself. Many people had no clear vision of what would come when the clock struck midnight on December 31, 1999.
I recall having to encourage many who sat fearful of the repercussions of the computers going haywire. We actually had a conference in 1999 with presenters taking sides on whether there would be a catastrophe or not. One presenter won the debate hands down and as he predicted Y2K would be a big bust and thankfully it was quite anticlimactic; the clock struck twelve and we came out unscathed and life moved on.
Each new year there is feeling that we are entering into the big unknown. Especially today as we are inundated by the sheer volume of information overloading our senses every hour. We have difficulty sorting out what is most important. And to complicate it more, many sense they are quite possibly being managed by sophisticated algorithms; computer equations created to slowly move a person to think the way someone wants them to think. And so where can we get clarity, awareness of reality and a clear vision in 2020?
For me, the only source of information that I completely trust and which can effectively filter though the vast sea of opinion is the Bible. Sadly, many have been moved away from believing in a Creator (much less a God who truly cares about and loves people - His highest creation). And even if they concede there must be a God, they doubt that He revealed His mind to us through the pages of Scripture.
And so, 2020 will probably be a year of rancor between those that hold a Biblical worldview and those who hold an evolutionary worldview. Those who believe in a transcendent God learn from Scripture that God sent forth His son to rescue people trapped in sin, rebellion and hardness of heart. Those who do not hold the view that there is transcendent truth must believe that we are here by chance. But they have a difficult time proving love is more than simply a mix of brain chemicals stirring up lust or that a baby is more than a mere product of conception. With this view one could shape humanity into whatever image best suits them. But it comes with a price. The price is a world that seems devoid of true meaning and purpose and where a dreadful hopelessness prevails.
Oh to be sure there are some who will be happy to take the place of God and assign their own meaning and value to life! Morality for some just means the survival of the species and the altruisms of family and friends are disposable at will.
While there are many wonderful people in education, science and industry in this state who still respect Biblical truth, there are growing numbers who want to bring a fundamental change to New Jersey and to America. Their tools are the compulsion of law, deep state manipulation and discarding of religious freedom to create a progressive society. This type of progress, C.S Lewis described, can also be seen in an egg. It is called "going bad!" And bad it will be! After all, don’t we visit the ruins of many great world civilizations including the Babylonian, Grecian, Persian and Roman empires who ran afoul of God’s natural law? We need vision to see that when human government replaces God, eventually that government will implode.
But out of the desperate conditions that come from a world run amok, there is often a return to God with a humble acknowledgment of one’s sin. My hope is to see the day there is a revival of people returning to the God of the Bible, not by compulsion, but willingly.
Clear vision comes from God’s revelation. Only God can open our eyes. Without God and without a clear vision of who our creator is we are lost. But when we recognize the sovereignty of God we are transformed.