“Remember this, that the enemy has reproached, O LORD,
and that the foolish people have blasphemed your name. . . .
Rise up, O God! Plead your own cause!
Remember how the foolish man reproaches you every day.
Forget not the voice of your enemies; the tumult of those
who rise up against you increases continually.”
Psalm 74:18, 22–23
I found myself praying these same things recently when I remembered seeing certain famous entertainers mock God, using vile language as they did so. I called their names out to God, appealing to Him to show His power again so that His Son’s name would be honored again by men.
A body of Christ without miracle-working power, such as the body of Christ is at this time in history, is an invitation to the world to blaspheme the name of Jesus. The body of Christ is supposed to act like salt, preserving society from going bad as quickly as it will without that salt. But a body of Christ without power has no preserving influence on society. When the world sees a body of Christ without the power of God, such as the body of Christ is at this time in history, it thinks there is no reason to fear our God.
The next time we hear a news report about how bad matters are among the nations, instead of just shaking our heads and criticizing the world, let’s get alone with God and ask for the power to be an influence for good. We do not want God to see us as part of the reason the world is in as bad a condition as it is in. We want Him to see us as “faultless and innocent, children of God, without blemish in the midst of a crooked and perverted generation” (Phip. 2:15).
