Wanted:
John the Baptist
One of my favorite biblical
characters is John the Baptist. He’s one of the most unique men ever to
grace the pages of scripture. Jesus said he was the prophetic
fulfillment of Elijah the prophet (Matthew 11:14). His wardrobe
consisted of camel hair and a leather girdle. He depended upon insects
(locusts, wild honey) for his nutritional needs (Matthew 3:4).
His rough cut, commanding presence,
preaching were so powerful, persuasive that many wondered if he might
be the Messiah. He was a solitary man whose habitation was the
wilderness and desert areas of Palestine UNTIL it was time for him to
prepare Israel for Jesus the Messiah.
The pivotal point in his ministry is
described as follows; “The
word of God came unto John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness”
(Luke 3:2). In God’s economy, it matters little where he
chooses to make critical announcements. And in John’s case, the
WILDERNESS proved to be NO obstacle for his WORD. God only needs the
right man to deliver it.
America is no wilderness…at least not
materially. We have massive metropolitan areas with their airports,
infrastructure and populations in the millions. But America is
a wilderness in spiritual/moral terms. I cannot think of two words that
better describe America at this hour than ‘godless’ and ‘lawless’. If
America needs anything at this hour, it is another John the Baptist,
whose message of repentance would thunder throughout the land.
But the Spirit-filled preaching of
God’s prophet is a two-edged sword. John enjoyed the receptiveness of
the “people, publicans and soldiers,” who sought his advice in doing
works meet for repentance. He got himself in trouble, however, ended up
in prison and lost his head when his preaching offended a corrupt
politician, Herod the tetrarch (Luke 3:19-20).
As bad as America needs a prophetic
voice at this hour, the lunatic Left would shut him up as soon as they
could get away with it. The glimmer of hope for the wilderness America
has become is the assurance NO amount of WILDERNESS can hinder the WORD
of God from impacting a nation when he delivers it to and through the
right vessel.
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