Twas a great song by Johnny. Still is. According to sources, Johnny wrote the lyrics because, “I was newly married at the time, and I suppose I was laying out my pledge of devotions.”
The song is about keeping a course of life that reflects that pledge and fleshes out actions that show the world what we stand for and to whom our hearts are devoted.
When when are devoted or pledged, it is nigh unto being a sacred stance we take to be someone and do something that reflects and protects the person or thing of value that we are pledging to – like the future of our nation, our children, and our grandchildren.
If you are anything like me (and God help you if you are!), you see our highly valued nation slipping through our fingers into a darkness that we abhor. It feels like we are hopelessly being dragged down to somewhere we not only despise, but never dreamed that we could fall to this depth.
When something slips between the fingers it is because there are gaps. To stop the slippage, we must close the gaps. If you want to make a difference, I suggest you 1) Pray for God’s power and wisdom, 2) find and reach out to like-minded souls and not only encourage one another (Lord knows it is easy to get discouraged), but also meet and talk about what steps you can take to stem the leakage, 3) barrage your local, state, and and national representatives and tell them how you feel and ask them to set and/or change policies that protect your values that are under assault, and 4) ask yourself honestly what if anything you have done to let this happen. Maybe our own lack of righteousness and faith has contributed to all this. Many of us, just sit back and complain… but do nothing. Often it is because we feel impotent and helpless; but let me encourage you, there is one who is powerful enough to stop this decay – the omnipotent Lord of the Universe. I suggest you make yourself annoying to God and your representatives by presenting non-stop requests before them!
When the prophet Isaiah lamented that lack of Godly purpose in the nation around him and saw his nation crumbling and under attack, he prophesied that God earnestly sought people to step up and stand in the gap. God sought these people! In Ezekiel 22:30, we read that God was looking for people to stand up and stand in. The God of the Israelites said, “And I sought for a man among them, that should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it: but I found none.”
God is powerful enough to do and change anything… but it seems sometimes He wants to do that very thing though faithful women and men who hunger for righteousness. Maybe He is looking for you right now. Maybe He wants you to give Him your pledge of devotion so you can Walk the Line for Him. If you do not want this nation to be destroyed, lean into Him who has the power to stop it and walk the line to save our country.
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For His Glory,
Jim