We have seen the catch phrase that our president has used, “Make America great again!” But I want to suggest that our politicians and leaders cannot make America great again. Neither will the political process or the election of this one or that one.
Some will argue that we have never been great. I would say that we are a nation that has been deeply touched by the presence of God and greatly blessed. Have we ever been great? Absolutely. We have been great when we lived out our Christian principles and stood for what is right. There have been numerous points where we can say that happened. There are also numerous times when we did not live out what we claimed to believe.
So how do we get back to being great again? This quote has been used by many and is debated as to where it came from but it is still true.
“I sought for the greatness and genius of America in her commodious harbors and her ample rivers—and it was not there … in her fertile fields and boundless forests—and it was not there … in her rich mines and her vast world commerce—and it was not there … in her democratic Congress and her matchless Constitution—and it was not there. Not until I went into the churches of America and heard her pulpits flame with righteousness did I understand the secret of her genius and power. America is great because she is good, and if America ever ceases to be good, she will cease to be great.”
By this metric we are not great today. We are far from God. We have legislated immorality (for all who have said you can’t legislate morality) and we have become a nation that officially sanctions the murder of unborn human beings. We have taken God out of our courtrooms and our businesses and our schools. And yes we do need to get prayer back into our schools but first we need to get it back into our churches and our homes.
There are many Americans today who would utterly disavow any belief in God. Yet they are the beneficiaries of some of the great benefits of living in a land that has been influenced by the Judeo-Christian view of life. Our system of law is largely based on the law of Moses. Our beliefs of right and wrong are informed by the Scriptures in the Bible. Our understanding of what it means to love our neighbor has led us to give generously to others in their time of need. We are a nation that has been built by the work ethic and the values God has given in His Word.
So what is the key to our future? I believe it is to turn back to God. It may be too late already for our nation. I have read this week in 2 Chronicles where King Josiah repented and wept because of how his people had turned from God. He repented but God’s judgment was still coming. Is the handwriting on the wall for America? I pray that it is not.
Will you join me in praying for our nation? Will you pray with me for the future that our children and grandchildren face? What kind of country will they live in? What will their classmates be like? What will their neighbors be like?
We still have opportunity. Let’s pray for a spiritual revival and an awakening across this land! As Jonathan said, “… it may be that the Lord will work for us. For nothing restrains the Lord from saving by many or by few.”” (1 Samuel 14:6, NKJV)
Your Pastor,
Bro. Tim Hobbs
“So I sought for a man among them who would make a wall, and stand in the gap before Me on behalf of the land, that I should not destroy it; but I found no one.” (Ezekiel 22:30, NKJV)