The Healer
A Plea for the Church in America
By Terrence Turman
Who can heal this culture, a culture of circling vultures?
Preying on the hurt and a culture protecting gropers.
Our women are to be prized, they deserve a better portion;
Lost without conviction, distortion is its only focus.
Who can heal a generation, a generation of isolation?
So focused on themselves that they forgot the destination.
Life and death are in the tongue but they refuse to have a voice.
Their secular is their sacred now the enemy carries the torch.
Who can heal this people, a people with no conscience?
Ready to divide and chide. With words, they throw punches.
Fear, ignorance, and intolerance—yeah, that’s the calling card.
You can’t hurt me on social media, so I post with no regard.
No regard to human decency, I let my bitterness bleed
All over your smartphone and CPU screens.
I don’t care who I hurt, I just want my opinions seen.
Fake news or real news, it doesn’t really matter to me.
My fingers type and tingle as I fight to disagree
I have a right to be heard; freedom of speech gives me speed:
Speed to say what I feel, but neglect what I say
Because what I say doesn’t matter—don’t forget this is my space!
Our culture is deceptive,
Our people, disrespectful;
Generations clash with no one hearing perspective.
Outside is a people that need compassion, not conjecture.
See, this poem is about America—not the country, but the Church.
The very same Church that Jesus redeemed with hurts.
Hurts and pains. On the cross, He was slain.
Whipped on His back, open wounds reveal the veins.
See Jesus became humanity, to save for God a family,
A family full of people, if left alone, live in vanity.
He did this out of love—not one deserved opportunity.
Our sin. In our place. One death destroyed our depravity.
One day in eternity, this family will be together.
In the meantime, this family is supposed to love,
clothe, and feed each other.
That would be the difference and that difference
would draw the world.
Growing this heavenly family, delivering people from their peril.
Yet, our peril has been blinders that close our vision,
The vision to see hurt people when we see division.
Division is a symptom and not the problem;
Sin is what we will see if we dig to the bottom.
Sin is a sickness: it steals and it kills.
It makes us seek comfort instead of doing His will.
Go and make disciples. The Church has an assignment.
Yes, get them to the water but walk with them after it.
Teach them love, kindness, peace, and compassion.
Teach them to pray, and not spit out their first reaction.
This is not a complaint, this is a call to action.
Churches around the world: Unite with a new passion!
To see lives changed and strongholds slain,
To operate in grace and constantly seek His face.
It’s hard to seek when our pride keeps us blind.
Be Thou our vision, Lord; open our eyes!
Preach the Gospel! That’s what some would say.
But the Gospel is not just a message, it’s a walk, it’s a way!
The Gospel is justice, peace, hope, unblinded eyes;
The Gospel is grace, unity, passion, and restoration of mind.
So we ask, who can heal this culture, people, and generation?
Jesus, of course—the healer of the nations.
He broke hostility so hope could be revealed.
It’s through the Lord alone that the world will be healed.
So I Say
Jesus can heal this culture and restore moral honesty
By fathers being home, raising men and leading valiantly,
Teaching boys to love, respect, and value God’s creation.
Treat her like your sister in Christ—not deserving degradation.
Jesus can heal this generation by bringing a great awakening
Through pastors preaching the Gospel and leaving all passivity,
By members seeking the lost again and not political affinity,
By building bridges with our enemies to bring them into eternity.
Jesus can heal this people and illuminate our faults,
Leading us to repentance, in submission we carry our cross,
Building with our brothers, counting the cost of our actions.
Lord, please give us unity; may we stop the holy theatrics!
You called us to better, and with Your help, we can get there.
Lord, sanctify Your people! Wash us clean and make us bare.
Let us live as the standard, in accordance with Your purpose:
Trading compromise for commission, remembering our
blood purchase.
Lead us into a new season. May Your Kingdom be revealed.
May our freedoms and amendments be subjected to Your will.
Create in us a clean heart—hearts who redeem hearts.
Holy Spirit, do Your work and may the Church do our part!
Jesus, Jesus, we cry out to You.
Jesus, Jesus, we cry out to You.
Jesus, Jesus, we cry out to You. Emmanuel*—please heal us!
*Lyrics from Emmanuel, written by Daniel Dabney. ©2017 HW Worship (ASCAP). Used by permission.