This week I went to Sedona, Arizona for vacation. My family and I had never been this far west, and we thought it would be nice to experience the culture and sightseeing. This week I have seen people I have never met, eaten food I’ve never tried and seen landscapes that I have only seen before on desktop screensavers. One thing that I saw that was not new, was this: there is a need for the Gospel. Far and wide, nationally, globally, everywhere.

Our nation is desperate for the Gospel. Like dry ground thirsty for a drop of rain, there are cracks, and with pressure the soil gives way, turning into sinking sand. Here in Arizona, I was reminded that America is just as thirsty for the satisfying and rejuvenating drop of rain that is Jesus Christ, as the unreached people across the sea. On every street corner in Arizona was a store promising spiritual enlightenment through magic. Crystals and stones line every other window claiming to bring joy, control, and perseverance. One morning at a marketplace, a Navajo Indian woman told me that she believed that the arrowhead in her bag was bringing her good luck because of its connection to a god of thunder.

This is just one of the 50 states. If you are one of those people who refuses to board a plane for an oversea mission, then hop in a car and drive on over. Better yet, open your eyes to the people around you. Our nation is seeking. They are seeking a purpose and love that only the one true God can provide. They are finding temporary and inadequate fulfillment in sex, money, political involvement and dabbling in “spiritual enlightenment.” They are lost.

I saw a sign while on vacation that said “let’s make America great again.” As Christians, we need to start understanding that this does not mean burying our heads in legal reform. It has to start with the Gospel. We need to bring Jesus to those who are hungry for him. Those people in Arizona, those people in Illinois, those people on your street corner, they are part of our lost world and seeking nation. Remember this in Acts 1:6-8, “So when they had come together, they asked him, 'Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?' He said to them, 'It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” We do not know when Jesus will return, but we know what we must do until then, and that is to take the Gospel out, near and far, to everyone we meet.

I never thought that my vacation destination would bring me to a desperate or intense mission field. To be honest, I dropped the ball. Not enough talk of Jesus happened, not nearly enough prayers were said for these lost people, but that is why we must open our eyes. Our nation, you know the one “under God,” is full of people who are seeking something to fill the rotted holes in their hearts. Just because they have heard the name Jesus a few times does not mean we are free of the responsibility to pray relentlessly, share passionately and love abundantly. So Christians, let us not leave our duties to share the Gospel and proclaim the glory of God in our nightstands at home. You cannot vacation from God’s truth, and neither can the lost people around you. Go on vacation and remember this: you could be there to share the Gospel with your tour guide.