56 Years Ago We Learned What Faith’s Absence Can Do

“I’ve heard the thunder roll. I’ve felt sin-breakers dashing, trying to conquer my soul. But I heard the voice of Jesus saying still to fight on. He promised never to leave me, never to leave me alone.” — Hymn: “I Have Seen the Lightning Flashing” (Anonymous) – Also, likely cited by the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. c. 1963

“And they said one to another, Behold, this dreamer cometh.” – Genesis 17:19

Hello dear friends.

As many of you know, and can even vividly recall, 56 years ago, my uncle, my father Rev. A. D. King’s brother, Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, was shot and killed at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee, by James Earl Ray.

He reportedly shot and hoped to kill Dr. King’s great and widespread dream of unity.

James Earl Ray killed my uncle believing that America was founded on principles that justified a radical racist ideology.

Yes, his shots mortally wounded my uncle, but Ray missed killing an undeniable truth.

That truth is written into the heart and is inscribed upon the soul of our nation still!

It’s irrepressible, God-given protection for all members of humankind.

“All men are created equal.”

No, praise God, the dream my uncle espoused in March of 1963 (“I Have a Dream“), and during many other times in his eventful, tumultuous, and meaningful life didn’t die with him.

“The work goes on, the cause endures, the hope still lives, and the dream shall never die.”

That quote comes not from my uncle, but the late Sen. Edward M. Kennedy.

But those words, regardless of our strong, vociferously expressed, political affiliations, ring true for anyone who believes in a noble causes, and strives to only do one thing, and that is the Lord’s work, whatever benevolent form(s) that may take.

Dr. King’s live, so do ours, if only we will have as much faith as small as a mustard seed, never forgetting our resurrected Jesus lives, which means he lives in us, if only we will silence our inner voices and listen!

I would venture to say that the man who killed my uncle, and Sirhan Bishara Sirhan, who shot Robert F. Kennedy to death only a few short months later (June 5, 1968), had lost not only their way in life, but also, and most significantly, their faith.

At this juncture, in my remembrance, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the passing of my mother Dr. Naomi Ruth Barber King on March 7, 2024, close to this anniversary of the death of my beloved uncle. It makes this season more than doubly poignant.

So, while we honor the memory and legacy of the Rev.. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. a beloved husband, father, uncle, and leader, let us also celebrate his dream of God’s love, justice, and mercy.

That dream lives on, in Christ. Forever. Amen.

Now, more than ever, each of us unfailingly strive to restore morality and faith in our workplaces, churches, and schools.

Let us realize in this way, we can truly achieve avoiding repeating the fatal tragedies so many of us witnessed in the 1960s, and tragically do so today.

Pray faithfully, keep the faith: share it, spread the good news of God, without the slightest hesitation – and watch our beloved nation heal.

Evangelist Dr. Alveda C. King is Atlanta-based, where she is the grateful mother of six and a blessed grandmother. She is also chair of the America First Policy Institute’s Center for the American Dream. She is the daughter of the late slain civil rights activist Rev. A. D. King and the niece of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. She is founder of Speak for Life, and Alveda King Ministries. Dr. King is also an author, television host, and contributor, and wrote: “How Can the Dream Survive?” She served in the Georgia State House, and as a presidential appointee. She is a recipient of the Presidential Lifetime Achievement Award. More — Here.