Glimpses of God

“What the World Needs Now Is Love” is a popular song written by the songwriting duo of Hal David and Burt Bacharach. Though the main melody and chorus for the song were composed in 1962, the verses did not emerge until 1964 when David penned the line, “Lord, we don’t need another mountain.” The song recorded by Jackie De Shannon (1965), then Dionne Warwick (1966), subtly referenced love as the response to the civil unrest that shaped the U.S. at the time, now almost 60 years ago. 

In the first three months of 1965, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. advocated for Black voters, followed by the “Great Society” State of the Union address by President Lyndon B. Johnson. Dr. King and 700 demonstrators were arrested in Selma, Alabama. Then Malcolm X was assassinated, and on “Bloody Sunday,” Alabama troopers and civil rights demonstrators clashed. By the end of that year, riots, the escalation of the war in Vietnam, and protests overshadowed the nation. This song, “What the World Needs Now Is Love,” appeared to be a plea or a prayer. 

In the first two months of 2023, we remember the first anniversary of the ongoing war in Ukraine; earthquakes, bomb cyclones, mass shootings, culture wars, and economic concerns that continue to shape our discourse and affect our well-being. How can we navigate and thrive despite the continuing toxicity that shapes human interactions? How do we re-write the narratives of fear, anxiety, meanness, and hostility that seem intent on overrunning our nation, states, cities, neighborhoods, and homes? I recommend love.

However, the love I am advocating for is a sacrificial neighbor love that prioritizes others. John, the beloved disciple of Jesus, writes: 

The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love. By this, the love of God was manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has seen God at any time; if we love one another, God abides in us, and His love is perfected in us. 1 John 4:8-12 (NASB)

If we have experienced God’s sacrificial love, our love for others will be sacrificial, confirming that God is in us. Evidence of this love is persons who are loving, joyful, peacemaking, patient, kind, gentle, faithful, and in control of themselves. Sacrificial love does not mean we pretend not to be hurt, angry, sad, frustrated, or disappointed when we experience harm. Nor does it mean we are to be silent or turn a blind eye when we see or experience injustice. No, loving like Jesus means loving, confronting injustice, and empathetically journeying with those whose stories differ from ours. Listening, caring, advocating, and helping each other reflect the teaching and healing ministry of Jesus. When we do this as a healthcare institution, we will reflect and encounter glimpses of God’s love in each other.

I agree with David and Bacharach that the world is still in desperate need of love. Join me in propagating more of this love in our world.

—Dilys Brooks, PhD, BCC, is campus chaplain for Loma Linda University.