A Slow Trains Comin

Yesterday, I listened to a classic Bob Dylan song, “SLOW TRAIN”, and it hit me right between my eyes, if we really want to know what’s happening in America today we need to listen and read the song’s lyrics. This song maybe be the most profound prophetic word I’ve heard during this pandemic. Dylan ends the song with, “But it’s sure do bother me to see my loved ones turning into puppets. There’s a slow, slow train coming up around the bend.” Bob Dylan’s song, “YOUR GOING TO HAVE TO SERVE SOMEBODY,” describes how we become puppet’s and it’s found in the fact that we all serve somebody. There is one lyric repeated 7 times (God’s number of completion) in this song. The lyric is, “your gonna have to serve somebody it may be the devil it my be the Lord, but your gonna have to serve somebody.” The question I have is, have you recently looked at what your serving, are you even aware of who or what controls your life. You might be boarding this slow train comin and not even aware of it.

Let’s take a closer look at what’s on this slow train. Pro. 18:21, shares “Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat it’s fruits.” It would seem Death is it’s destination. We’ve seen this train used in history before as it transported loved ones to a destination of death…Just ask a Jewish person. Has our popular cancel culture become a rider on this train? Have we as a society moved into a Death-Cycle where we shame, blame, retaliate and then eliminate, all that don’t agree with us, or fit into our bias or agenda? A death-cycle always begins with a lie, a lie we start believing and it’s applauded by the world saying, “go ahead get even, they deserve what they’re getting from you.” It’s this lie that creates a death-cycle that only wants one thing, to eat it’s fruit because it love’s it. In Gen. 3:6-7, the woman listened to the lie of the serpent and ate the apple, giving it to her husband both were eliminated from God’s garden. It’s after eating the fruit that the cycle began, naked they felt the shame. When asked about their nakedness they began to blame, first the serpent then each other. It’s not stated but I bet they retaliated against each other with, why did you do that, why didn’t you stop me. The death-cycle always ends with elimination. When they were kicked out of the garden they experienced, like we do, spiritual and physical death. Believing lies always troubles our heart to take selfish control as we move into a death cycle. Ask King David why his soul was cast down. Why his heart was sad. Why his life was in turmoil. Why he was discouraged. Why all his hope was gone (Psa. 42:11, 43:5). This is a troubled heart and it ends up in Ezek. 37:1-2, a valley of dead, dry bones.

It’s in this valley, we have a choice to move from the death-cycle into a life-cycle. Please notice, it was God that led Ezekiel into this valley of scattered dead bones. It was God who asked the question, “Can These Bones Live Again?” to Ezekiel and it’s the same question He asks us. God always gives us the choice to stay in a death-cycle of shaming, blaming, retaliating and eliminating or choose a life-cycle where breath can come back into your scattered, empty, dead life again. A life that has purpose. A life that desires to build up and not tear down people, places, things. Today, America needs to hear again what God said in Deut. 30:19, “Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. Now I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, so that you and your descendants might live!’ There’s a slow train coming America, so “Choose this day whom you’ll Serve.”

Question: Are you currently facing situations that are causing anxiety and fear in your life? How are you responding, A Life-Cycle or Death-Cycle?

Key Thought: Many in America are on a slow train comin and serving something or somebody unaware it’s even moving us. Don’t you think it’s time to take a close look at our lives and make choices that will change our destiny?