"Great Men"

Somber men with grieving hearts,

Lost so much, and life’s best parts,

Stolen ‘fore they had good starts,

They went and fought a war.

Young they were and soldiers all,

Heard from Uncle Sam his call,

To challenge evil and forestall,

They could not have done more.

Came home with those who did survive,

Some did not make it back alive,

But those who did would work and thrive,

And seldom would look back.

They raised their families sure and strong,

Showed us how to get along,

To freedom’s home we all belong,

And nothing do we lack.

And now the time has passed and years,

Since those young men faced all their fears,

And mothers shed their heartfelt tears,

And now they have passed on.

Now we live a different way,

Too careful ‘bout the words we say,

People kneel, when that song plays,

And, folks, it is all wrong.

Softer men without a chest,

Have silenced those who did their best,

Intimidated all the rest,

And dared someone to stand.

But time is coming, soon they’ll see,

They cannot rule indefinitely,

Just watch what happens, soon will be,

Real men are in this land,

With strength still in their hand.

With faith in One who’s always just,

And in Him we will always trust,

But saddle up, you know we must,

And let the Spirit lead.

Jesus is the truth and way,

Has always been, we hear Him say,

Both then and now and still today,

With courage to take heed.

“Be on guard. Stand firm in the faith. Be courageous. Be strong. And do everything with love.” (1 Corinthians 16:13, NLT)

This short sentence of counsel from the apostle Paul is loaded with power. The phrase “be courageous” literally means “be a man.” Our secular culture is confused about what that means. One caricature of manhood is being macho, which is a selfish distortion of men’s true identity. The other is a feminized version of manhood that is extremely weak. What is the answer, then? It is for men to receive their identity from God and stand in the power of the Spirit to do the right thing for God, their families, and their nation. God is raising up such men now.

Lord, raise us up to be courageous for Your glory, in Jesus’ name.

Art by Mark Maggiori, markmaggiori.com. Used by permission. Thanks, Mark, and God bless you.