Hello everyone!
I am back from the Black Hills of South Dakota! It was a great time and a beautiful place! God taught me a few things as well as reminded me of some things on this vacation. I am so thankful! Today’s blog is about one of the lessons he showed me along the way last week.
This picture above is the American Indian version of the 23rd Psalm. Why am I highlighting this picture? The answer is simple; God speaks to all peoples of the world in ways they will understand. He wants to be known by them in a way unique to their culture. He wants to show them His love in ways unique to their culture. He wants to speak to them in a language unique to their culture.
I’m probably going to step on some toes here. That’s okay, I grow tired of the ugliness that seems to fester just below the surface of this great nation. It has been there for far too long.
I honestly cried when I read this Psalm told from the viewpoint of the Native American. I thought to myself, how foolish we have been in America to think that God could not speak to our Native American brothers and sisters! We were foolish then and in some ways we are still foolish. Anglo-Saxon culture has been very arrogant for a long time in thinking God could not talk to others not like us if he wanted to and in ways unique and meaningful to them. God does not need one race to speak for Him as if only one race has His ear, and hears His heart. How foolish! How narrow minded! How deceived we have been! The Spirit of God and the work of the Cross are for all peoples and He speaks to all peoples as He chooses. The work of the Cross and the Bible were never meant to justify ill treatment of other human beings nor racism. Yet, this has been done countless times in the country and across the world. It is still being done, only now it’s more incognito then it was when this Psalm was written sometime in the late 19th century. It attempts to look more sophisticated and look “righteous and benevolent”, yet if you look past the white washed, cross-studded surface, you will see the same ugliness we showed to the Native American and the black communities in America not long ago. It’s a pig with lipstick, pearls and a cute dress but it’s still a pig. Satan has indeed been at work in this for quite some time, yet, I believe God is getting ready to break the back of racism in this country and around the world. We have believed lies for far too long. Now is the time for lies to be undone! Get ready!
I repent for America this day and ask the Lord to forgive us for our foolishness! I ask you Lord to forgive us for these sins and heal our land!
I ask those of you reading this to look and see with God’s eyes. I ask you to hear with His heart. I ask you to listen with His ears. If you do, you will see a very different world – a world he loves and longs to redeem. And he longs to love and redeem all races not just yours or mine.
I choose to see with His eyes, listen with His ears, and hear with His heart. Will you? With much love,
Elizabeth