Who will rise up?
16 Who will rise up for me against the evildoers? or who will stand up for me against the workers of iniquity?
17 Unless the LORD had been my help, my soul had almost dwelt in silence.
18 When I said, My foot slippeth; thy mercy, O LORD, held me up.
19 In the multitude of my thoughts within me thy comforts delight my soul.
20 Shall the throne of iniquity have fellowship with thee, which frameth mischief by a law?
21 They gather themselves together against the soul of the righteous, and condemn the innocent blood.
22 But the LORD is my defence; and my God is the rock of my refuge.
23 And he shall bring upon them their own iniquity, and shall cut them off in their own wickedness; yea, the LORD our God shall cut them off.
It doesn’t take much exposure to the events of the day to recognize that the world is spinning rapidly out of control – at least out of man’s control. The rise of evil and anarchy is unprecedented in recent years. Terror, crime and ungodly behavior have become far too common and in many cases, unless acts are horrific, they are hardly recognized by the masses. What will it take for change to take place? A few weeks back, I wrote two articles on the need for personal accountability and revival. That need persists and is more pressing even now, only a few weeks later. But the need for revival has mutated to a need for action by a church united to stand in a battle that rages more intently each and every day.
In a quote often attributed to Edmund Burke, an eighteenth-century statesman, but taken quite out of context, the “writing on the wall” seems to have been exposed: The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men should do nothing. So, if we were to use reverse interpretation, to overcome evil, good men should do something! In fact, scripture tells us that we should “Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good” – Romans 12:21 (KJV), although again, the context of that passage must be considered.
Assuredly, overcoming evil requires some action by the good people of God to contend for the faith. The battle that rages is no longer secular; it is a battle for the souls of men, women and children who need to know that there is a God that loves them and gave His only begotten Son to save them and to bring victory. In the heat of the battle, who will rise up to stand and who will tell them?
Rise up O men of God,
Have done with lesser things.
Give heart and soul and mind and strength,
To serve the King of Kings,
To serve the King of Kings.
Rise up O men of God,
His Kingdom tarries long,
Bring in the day of brotherhood,
And end the night of wrong,
And end the night of wrong.
Rise up O men of God,
The Church for you doth wait.
Send forth to serve the needs of men
In Christ our strength is great,
In Christ our strength is great.
Lift high the Cross of Christ,
Tread where His feet have trod,
As brothers of the Son of Man,
Rise up O men of God,
Rise up O men of God.
Rise up O men of God,
Have done with lesser things.
Give heart and soul and mind and strength,
To serve the King of Kings,
To serve the King of Kings.
“Rise Up O Men of God” was written by William P. Merrill in 1911. It is sometimes arranged and titled “Rise Up O Church!”
The traditional version of “Rise Up O Men of God” was modified to the above lyrics and set to an arrangement by Phil Keaggy on his Town to Town album.
Listen to Phil Keaggy’s rendition of “Rise Up O Men of God”…
Rise Up O Men of God!
arranged and performed by Phil Keaggy
from the album, “Town to Town”
© ℗ 1981 Sparrow Records
The above audio is provided for review and commentary purposes in compliance with the fair use provisions of the U.S. copyright laws. It is not intended to be downloadable and should not be copied for any other purpose. The original recording by Phil Keaggy is ©1981 Sparrow Records Incorporated. The original lyrics are in the public domain.