Many of us who lived through the 1950s and 1960s fondly recall The Andy Griffith Show. How we remember that Mayberry’s sheriff and his son did not have a care in the world when they went fishing! Thinking about them, I am impressed at how simple life should be and how extreme it has become. The recent explosion of technology and the growing political, social, global turmoil filling headlines today is a stark reminder to me of how far we have come—or fallen—from times of peace.

All husbands have a deep-seated desire for their wives to believe in them. Many husbands do what they do for the admiration of one woman: their wife. Ladies, remember back when you were first dating your husband? You gladly and enthusiastically played the role of his cheerleader; you motivated him with your eyes that were filled with pride and admiration. You were generous in your lavish praise and uplifting words which deeply touched his heart. When he married you he thought the cheers would last forever.

“It is time for You to act, O Lord, for they have regarded Your law as void (cast off, dissolved, caused to cease, made of none effect)” (Psalm 119:126). Today, Western nations have been taking actions that are casting off or trying to make void the laws of God as never before. Is it time for God to act?

When I was a boy, my grandmother used to send our family copies of a Pennsylvania newspaper, Grit, which published only good news. Grit displayed news and features aimed at rural America, and climbed to a weekly circulation of 100,000 by 1900, and reached nearly half a million by its 50th anniversary in 1932. Grit is still printed today as a bimonthly magazine, and its memorably optimistic mission statement has remained with it through the years.