What did the most successful legends of the Bible, Founding Fathers and evangelists do when faced with harrowing situations they were unable to overcome in their own strength?
They turned to God, kneeling down in prayer and humility before the Lord.
These leaders of days past recognized that God is the God of the impossible, and when faced with problems they were unable to bring to resolution, they turned to the Almighty in the faith and knowledge that He can overcome all obstacles.
Now, Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., from Knoxville, is speaking up against the violence and division plaguing the nation as it continues its path away from biblical principles.
Speaking from the Capitol on Tuesday, Burchett shared how affected he was by the shooting in Nashville as a Tennessean.
“It is horrendous,” Burchett said. “I lived in Nashville; I was in the state legislature for 16 years. It’s just a horrible situation.”
Burchett continued by saying he does not believe the answer to this violence in America will be solved in the halls of Congress.
“We’re not going to fix it,” he said. “Criminals are going to be criminals. My daddy, who fought in the Second World War, fought in the Pacific, fought the Japanese, and he told me, he said, ‘Buddy, if somebody wants to take you out and doesn’t mind losing their life, there’s not a whole heck of a lot you can do about it.'”
“We’ve got a mental health issue in this country,” he declared. “We need to start addressing it.”
“It doesn’t matter what state it happens in; we’re all Americans,” Burchett added. “It doesn’t matter the color of their skin. They all bleed red. They’re bleeding a lot.”
“I don’t see any real role that we can do other than mess things up, honestly, because of the situation,” he said. “Like I said, I don’t think a criminal’s going to stop from [getting] guns; you know, you can print them out on computer now, 3-D printing. I don’t think you’re going to stop the gun violence. I think you’ve got to change people’s hearts.”
Therein lies the crux of the issue at hand.
Violence is a symptom of the heart, and has been since Cain murdered Abel in the book of Genesis (see Gen. 4:1-16). He did not need a rifle or even a knife to murder his brother; all that was required was for him to allow the anger he felt to permeate his heart and misdirect it toward his brother. That anger used a rock to murder, just as any tool or weapon can be used by a person with an unclean heart to commit horrendous acts of violence.
What Burchett said next was truly the cure to the symptom plaguing the world today.
“As a Christian, as we talk about in the church, and I’ve said this many times; I think we really need a revival in this country,” he said. “I think our ministers and our communities of faith need to come together and start preaching about love from the Bible; it’s in the Bible, from the pulpit, and maybe that could go a long ways towards it.
“I’m idealistic, brother,” Burchett concluded. “I didn’t come up here ’cause I thought I was going to get my butt kicked. I thought I was going to do something. I believe in the Scripture, and that’s what we’re commanded to do.”
Speaking in the wake of the events that took place on the campus of Asbury University in February, whether people call it a revival, outpouring or awakening, Burchett highlighted the necessity for America to repent and turn back toward God.
The recent outpouring on Asbury’s campus revealed how people in this country are hungry, even desperate, for God.
The movement would not have caught national headlines the way it did and seen tens of thousands of people flock to the campus if that hunger and desire were not in their hearts.
Inviting the Spirit of the Lord back into the hearts of Americans of all backgrounds would bring with it the freedom, peace and healing that follow the Holy Spirit wherever He goes.
But the resistance to repentance is strong in America today.
Burchett is already under attack for his comments by those who look to ban guns instead of addressing the motivation behind the attacks.
So pray. Pray that more members of the American government will have the scales removed from their eyes and see that the way, the only way, to combat this senseless violence is with repentance, humility and the love of Christ sweeping across the nation as never before. {eoa}
James Lasher is staff writer for Charisma Media.
