(NOTE: I posted this column on February 22, 2023. With the movie "Sound of Freedom," timing is everything, and this is a good time republish a best-of..)

"Our fathers trusted in You. They trusted and You delivered them.... Be not far from us, for trouble is near." – Psalm 22

"I WILL FEAR NO EVIL." – Psalm 23

The following is just a theory, but right now we could all use some faith, hope, and charity. My previous column was mostly doom and gloom, but looking ahead there are two sides to the coin. Which one will prevail? It all depends. Could there possibly be a comparison between Psalm 22, 23, and 2022-2023? Or will it be a contrast, if you know what I mean? I wish the groundhog could tell us that one. A few more excerpts from the 22nd Psalm:

"I was cast upon You from the womb. You are my God from my mother's belly. All you the seed of Jacob, glorify Him! All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn unto the Lord. All the kindreds of the nations shall worship before You. They shall come and declare Your righteousness to a generation that shall be born."

The theme of Psalm 22 is an awakening to the fact that trouble is near (genuine wokeness). The theme of Psalm 23 is the fruits of such a turn-around. "The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not lack. He leadeth me beside the still waters and into the greener pastures." America has had two Great Awakenings, in the 1700s and 1800s; could the third time be the charm? Could it spread from here around the world? We can't force it to happen, but with the Lord, missions impossible are just a snap of the finger. His holy Word predicts the turning of the hearts of the children to their forefathers, the turning of the hearts of the people to the hearts of the children (not excluding the beating hearts of the unborn). There will be a great short work, a "strange work," a Work people wouldn't believe even if it were told them, that was promised for a time of uncertainty. Why not NOW?

That's my theory, short and sweet: 2022 could be a time of attitude adjustments, and 2023 could be the "best of times" ("The Lord preparest a Feast for us in the presence of our enemies").

But things will get worse before they can get better. People are dull of hearing, slow to see, and even slower to take corrective action. But there is HOPE:

When union workers and truck drivers begin to waking up (which they are doing), and when parents at school board meetings speak up, this could be much bigger than the Tea party was. They see what is happening at the border and they are paying through the nose for inflation. Education has gone off the deep end and the government lies about issues affecting their health, liberties, and the economy.

"It's not so important to be serious as it is to be serious about the important things," someone said.

Some people couldn't care less about the losses of their political freedoms, but if their team loses out on a chance to go to the Super Bowl, they go into deep depression. People with such an attitude may not wake up until NFL domed stadiums start falling down like the Roman coliseum.

P.S. Ronald Reagan said that if you forwarded a message to nine people, and they contacted nine other people, and this continued to just 10 days, you could reach half the population of the planet, and that was before the Internet! As the Cubs fans say, "WAIT'LL NEXT YEAR"(?)