When I was a kid, we had a next-door neighbor who was really a
worker! In her seventies, she was still constantly working
in her yard, and could be seen wearing her sunbonnet, climbing up on the roof to repair shingles.
Whenever she
had a big pile of leaves, she would throw a match
into it and then go busy herself in the house. Too many times to count, the
wind would whip up the flames and the fire would spread to the grass and
creep over to our yard.
There was a neighbor who lived behind us named
Howell. She would glance out the window and see the flames leaping and
we would hear her hollering, "Howell! Howell!" He would come running to
try to swat at the flames with a broom. The fire would get away from him
and be lapping at the corner of our house and the volunteer firemen
would come driving the fire engine across Daddy's prized lawn to put it
out.
I was thinking about this in light of our present
economic crisis. I am no economist, but it seems to me that our nation
was not paying close enough attention to the growing debt. Now the wind has flamed the fire out of control.
Like the lady next door, we are shouting, "Howell!!
How-will we ever get out of this mess?"
I am thankful for some leaders who realize that we
need to call on Almighty God. It may be too late to rectify the damage
that has been done, but it is not too late to strengthen our
relationship with God, individually and as a nation, and to turn to HIM
in repentance and prayer.
The Lord God says:
“I permitted Myself to be sought
by those who did not ask for Me;
I permitted Myself to be found
by those who did not seek Me.
I said, ‘Here am I, here am I,’
To a nation which did not call on My name."
Isaiah 65:1