Do you feel the darkness tremble
When all the saints join in one song?
And all the streams flow as one river
To wash away our brokenness.
And we can see that God, You’re moving!
A time of jubilee is coming
When young and old will turn to Jesus.
Fling wide, you heavenly gates!
Prepare the way of the risen Lord!
The members of the British band Delirious? recorded those words 20 years ago, in 1996. As a recent college graduate who had even more recently had a personal encounter with Jesus that turned my life upside down in all the right ways, it was one of my favorite songs at the time.
I’m not sure even Martin Smith knew how right he would turn out to be when he wrote those words—but the passage of time is proving him prophetic.
A quick scan of the daily news headlines is all it takes to tell you how broken our culture is. We’ve become a society that calls good evil and evil good, as Isaiah 5:20 warns so clearly not to do:
Those who stand for biblical values are labeled as bigots. Those who try to run their businesses according to their consciences are prosecuted by the state. When an undercover investigator reveals that an abortion group may be making money from the sale of fetal body parts, a grand jury indicts him for his methods, and lets the abortion seller off free. Clearly, our little corner of the world is upside down in all the wrong ways.
But if you look beyond those headlines and into the heavenlies, something else becomes very obvious to those with eyes to see: As another great British Christian of the 20th century might have put it, Aslan is on the move.
People from all over the spectrum of faith are crying out for God. One example: Franklin Graham is leading a prayer tour this year with stops in every state before the presidential election in November, presenting the Gospel at every halt and challenging Christians to pray and live out their faith in every way possible. Another example: People from all over the world will be gathering at the Los Angeles Coliseum and Sports Arena on April 9 for a day of fasting and prayer, waiting expectantly on God to send the fire of revival on our nation.
The different streams are beginning to converge in what happens, according to the Hebraic calendar, to be a Year of Jubilee.
The one thing that will stop what God wants to do in our midst is brokenness in the Body of Christ. If we want to see our culture transformed, it’s imperative that we cease finding fault with other sincere followers of Jesus over non-essential doctrine and differences of expression, and begin to function as we were designed to. The New Testament explains this several times, and 1 Corinthians 12:26 gives a powerful exhortation for the members to “care for one another.” We are to suffer and rejoice together.
For an electric current to flow, there has to be a connection—and so it is with all of us. If we want to see the Holy Spirit move powerfully in our midst and change our culture, we have to be connected to God and to each other.
It’s time to let the water of the Word and the Spirit wash away our brokenness, and fly united.
Originally published in the April 2016 issue of Citizen magazine.
