Earlier this week a high school teacher in Queens, New York, was forced to hide in her office because rampaging students threatened to attack her. What made the students so angry? The woman, who has been a teacher for 23 years, had posted a picture of herself on social media. She was holding a sign that said, “I STAND WITH ISRAEL.” Because of her stance, the students—who were waving Palestinian flags and calling for a riot—wanted to lynch her. New York City’s mayor, Eric Adams, called the incident “a vile act of antisemitism.” The incident forced authorities to close the school for a few hours.
What’s happening in our country? What would radicalize teenagers to the point that they would riot in the halls of a school? These kids should have been doing math problems and taking chemistry tests. Instead, they were marching in solidarity with terrorists and plotting to inflict violence on a teacher.
Welcome to America in 2023.
We live in an upside-down world. Hamas terrorists who decapitate babies and rape and butcher women are viewed as the good guys. Israel, the only true democracy in the Middle East, is viewed as an enemy to freedom.
Parents who want to protect their children from transgender ideology are called “hateful” or even “Nazis.” Pro-life activists who say it’s wrong to abort a baby during the third trimester are called “fascists.” Citizens—including Black Americans—who believe repeat criminals should be reported to police are called “white supremacists.”
Isaiah 5:20 (NASB) says: “Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; Who substitute darkness for light and light for darkness; Who substitute bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!” This verse helps me understand what is happening in our culture today. Words have been weaponized. Definitions have been changed to manipulate and control.
As I pray for my troubled nation, I find a lot of comfort when I pray according Matthew 6:13. Jesus told us we should pray: “Father … deliver us from evil.” Jesus recognized that there is evil in the world—and nobody can twist the definition of evil and make it good.
I’ve been asking that Jesus will deliver us from evil in six areas:
— Deliver us from lawlessness and violence. In some American cities today, murder rates are skyrocketing, and stores are closing because of rampant theft. In San Francisco and Philadelphia, for example, certain companies are pulling out of the cities altogether because local authorities won’t prosecute thieves. Lord, restore peace to our streets!
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— Deliver us from a mental health breakdown. Statistics show that deaths caused by alcohol, drugs and suicide have now reached their highest level ever in the United States. The deadly spread of fentanyl (carried illegally across our Southern border) is only one of the causes of this increase. Anxiety disorders, depression and more serious mental disorders have turned many people into ticking time bombs. Lord, deliver us from this wave of mental illness!
— Deliver us from media deception. It’s no secret that some world leaders are busy using their wealth and influence to plot evil. And sometimes the media—which is supposed to broadcast the truth and expose evil—is actually in bed with the evildoers. Pray that we will not be misled or manipulated by lies and cover-ups. God deliver us from the liars and conspirators!
— Deliver us from perversion. Sexual immorality has taken deep root in our nation—and this includes the pervasiveness of pornography, the horror of human trafficking and the wickedness of full-term abortion. And now, doctors are making their fortunes by performing sex-change operations on minors who are confused about their gender. Lord, deliver us from this evil!
— Deliver us from racism. We as a nation still struggle with pervasive prejudice against certain minorities—and in many cases racism exists in the church. We need deep repentance and freedom from our hatred of people who don’t look like us. Racism also has prevented the church from taking the gospel to certain communities and from caring about orphans, foster kids and prisoners. Lord, deliver us from this hatefulness!
— Deliver us from greed and materialism. The Bible warns that “the love of money is the root of all evil” (1 Tim. 6:10a, NIV). This evil is entrenched in our banking systems, pharmaceutical companies, universities, media corporations, hospitals, high-tech companies and governments. Deliver us from greed!
Meanwhile, let’s pray for Israel—that God will deliver that nation from evil terrorists who want to wipe the Jewish state off the map.
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J. Lee Grady was editor of Charisma for 11 years before he launched into full-time ministry in 2010. Today he directs The Mordecai Project, a Christian charitable organization that is taking the healing of Jesus to women and girls who suffer abuse and cultural oppression. Author of several books including 10 Lies the Church Tells Women, he has just released his newest book, Set My Heart on Fire, from Charisma House. You can follow him on Twitter at @LeeGrady or go to his website, themordecaiproject.org.
