Culturally Irrelevant

A couple mornings ago I was up early praying for the nation and the realization hit me that, like individuals, cities and nations have root to fruit connections. What I mean by root to fruit connection is that there is an undeniable link between the symptoms we display and the deeper roots that nourish those symptoms. Jesus said “you’ll know them (the root falseness of self-proclaimed prophets) by their fruit (outward symptoms of speech and behavior). I began to learn about the personal significance of the root to fruit connection from Bethesda, Dominic Herbst’s relational healing model that I blogged about a while back.

It really clicked as I started praying about some of the policies and bills being considered right now in Washington D.C. I suddenly realized that these issues are just the fruit of so many roots we have as a nation: epidemic fatherlessness, rejection and hatred against minority races, and millions of mothers of aborted babies who are filled with guilt, fear, and the pain of abandonment. Millions of our neighbors and friends and countrymen have nurtured deep rejection and bitterness in their hearts. As people hold on to these wounds, they fester and lead to rage, abuse, suicide, rebellion and even mental and physical diseases.

I’m sure there are more root issues, but these are the major ones I thought about as I prayed for the people in our country. Could it be that this is why the socialistic philosophy gaining ground in our government doesn’t alarm many of the public in our nation? It makes me wonder. I mean, what abandoned child doesn’t want someone big and strong to take care of them and fill that void? But where does the healing come from? What is our responsibility as the church to the lost and hurting people in our nation?

As I began to think about all of this, I remembered being told one time that this is exactly why Hitler’s regime was so overwhelmingly accepted. He rose to influence at a time when so many of Germany’s young men (and women) were fatherless due to WWI. His charisma, power and strong vision met a deep need, in a way, that everyone had. I can see the same thing happening in our nation, but in a much more subtle way. Not because so many Dads are dying in war, but because they’re gone, checked out, distracted. I bet at this point fatherlessness is one of the deepest, if not the deepest, root issue in our nation. (Go to http://fatherandson.org for one ministry that is addressing this problem head on). Afterall, how can we as a nation come to the Father if our idea of a father has been so beat up and twisted?

Needless to say, my prayers are changing from surface issues to deeper issues. It seems like this is valuable information for intercessors. What do you think? What are you sensing and hearing from the Holy Spirit as you pray for America? What needs to change in the way we’re doing ministry in order to address these deeper issues? One thing I’m thinking a lot about is Malachi 4:5-6. Reconciliation to the father’s heart seems key to ministry in the Last Days, and I believe it’s happening.