The combination of the moonless night and the thick fog enveloping the bay meant I had to rely on a spotlight and my memory to locate the markers.

Since I knew where to expect the reflectors that define the channel, they were pretty easy to find.

But may the Good Lord help anyone who doesn’t know where to look for the guardians of the shallows.

As I slowly made my way across the waters, I thought about how similar my situation was to the society in which we live. More threatening than a foreboding fog, a suffocating smog has immersed American culture.

People are so lost and aimless that some no longer even know what gender they are.

The institution of marriage is so shrouded that few see it as God designed: the sacred union between a man and woman who have each other’s backs, who are absolutely committed to and love each other no matter what.

The bond in biblical marriage is so strong that from the moment the vows are taken, God says the two become one. The stability of such a union creates an atmosphere of belonging in which parents and children thrive.

But America’s children are not thriving, with ever more of them churning in despair. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that suicide is now the second leading cause of death in ages 10-34. Across all ages, more people are taking their own lives than at any time since World War II.

Unsurprisingly, the Great Depression saw America’s worst suicide rate. The financial despondency and joblessness caused devastating consequences. How then do we square today’s soaring rates of suicide with our booming economy?

Under President Trump, the unemployment rate is at its lowest in decades. The stock market is soaring. Workers are enjoying the best wages of their lifetimes. Young adults are employed at higher rates and in better jobs than ever.

Yet sadness and hopelessness are soaring too. People, it seems, need something more than money to understand that their lives have meaning.

It’s fairly obvious (for anyone who cares to see) that our nation has lots its way because we have forgotten that the source of life is God.

We’ve allowed the empty philosophies of paganism to flood our airwaves, permeate our schools, and poison our families. The result is a nation choking to death on smog, drowning in cultural sewage.

Immersed in the darkness, our young people are floundering with nothing to guide them. They can’t find the markers because they were never taught where the path was in the first place.

The faith community in America has become a ghost town. Researcher George Barna (www.barna.com) reports that church attendance is at an all-time low, resulting in a nation that has no understanding of how to successfully navigate life’s inevitable trials.

As parents pulled out of biblically sound churches and abandoned their faith in God, they denied their children the spiritual guidance necessary for fulfillment. Thankfully, in God’s generous and abundant grace, He has provided the Way.

The source of human flourishing is found in the beautiful passage of Acts 17:28: “For in him we live and move and have our being.”

This spectacular truth deserves to be joyously proclaimed everyday. In Christ we find life! In Him we are able to truly grow and explore and thrive! In Jesus our souls find their meaning!

This life-giving truth will only become commonly known again through the restoration of religious freedom and free speech in the public square.

Yes, there are many who believe in something other than the saving power of Christ. Thankfully in America, each person is free to choose in what they will believe.

But how can people have a choice when some messages are silenced?

The fact is, the voices who believe in something other than God have been given preference in our cultural and social institutions at the exclusion of the Christian messages. And the result? Well, you already know the answer.

The same president who is unleashing economic freedom as the means for financial blessings also is unleashing the freedoms of religion and speech, which can deliver the bountiful blessings of the soul.

Families must return to our churches as pastors muster the courage to proclaim biblical truths. Mr. Trump is restoring the legal protections, so the Christian is without excuse.

As more of us seize the day and fulfill the Great Commission, our people will find the way.

Hold on tight: Revival is coming!

Rebecca Hagelin can be reached at [email protected].