The first answer is yes. God is the ruler of all things. The bible says all authority is from God. So whether it's Obama or McCain, God is still the ultimate ruler, thereby we are a nation under God. We are a world under God. The heavens and the earth remain under God, and his control.
However, we do not LIVE like we are a nation under God. Based on the free will that God gave us, (the free will that allowed Adam & Eve to eat the fruit that God specifically told them not to), we choose to live as we are a nation under ME. (and by ME, I don't mean myself, I mean every man for himself, the "ME" first attitude).
ME says "ME FIRST." Jesus says "the first shall be last."
ME says "I'll cut you off at the knees." Jesus says "I am the vine, you are the branches" and graphs himself to us to make us stronger.
ME says "I'm not happy, I need prozac" Jesus says "the joy of the Lord is your strength"
ME says "Get over it!" Jesus says "blessed are those who mourn."
ME says "let the best man win!" Jesus says "Blessed are the peacemakers."
ME says "everyone else is doing it." Jesus says "do not let anyone lead you astray."*
(*by Jesus, I mean God's word- the bible, not specifically the words of Jesus)
We have ceased to be God serving, and live to be self serving. Don't think God hasn't noticed.
When the Israelites stopped serving God and put other things before God (the definition of idolatry), God allowed them to go into captivity for 70 years. We, too, may be entering a time of "captivity" to allow time to get our priorities in order.
When we put God first, we will truly be one nation under God. Until then, its just more lip service, more spin, and politics as usual.
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Edie asks that we close our post with a prayer.
This prayer is an adaptation of Daniel 9:4-11, 17-19, with changes made by me to reflect our current time. (But I had to make very few.)
"O, Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with all who love him and open his commands, we have sinned and done wrong. We have been wicked and rebelled, we have turned away from your commands and laws. We have not listened....
Lord you are righteous, but this day we are covered with shame...we and our leaders are covered with shame because we have sinned against you. The Lord our God is merciful and forgiving, even though we have rebelled against him, we have not obeyed the Lord our God or kept the laws he gave us. All the United States has transgressed your law and turned away, refusing to obey you.
Now, our God, hear the prayers and petitions of your servant. For your sake, O Lord, look with favor on your desolate sanctuary. Give ear, O God, and hear; open your eyes and see the desolation of the country.... We do not make requests of you because we are righteous, but because of your great mercy. O Lord, listen! O Lord forgive! O Lord, hear and act! For your sake, O my God, do not delay because your people bear your Name."
17 comments:
It's true, we are a ME society - and the government seems to help this. Let's get Biblical - if you don't work, you don't eat. (this of course does not include those that are unable to work) We, as Americans AND Christians, need to take a stand to remember the miracles that our country was founded on and that without God,we wouldn't be the free country we are today. Thanks for the reminder.
I love how you corrolated the ME's with what Jesus says about the ME's. As individuals and as a nation it gives me lots of things to work on and pray about.
Can I just say Ditto to such a great post? I couldn't agree with you more Kelly and like I said in an earlier post, we are in the same pattern as the Isralites and I think it is more than coincidence. I think we are in for a rough time but there is no other way to wake Americans up. We have become stiff necked.
Please excuse the cliche, but GREAT POST. I'm not kidding. You said it just right.
I like the part where you say "Don't think God hasn't noticed." How often do we sin, and then when nothing bad seems to happen because of it, we think, whew, I got away with that.
We'll all have to answer to whatever "that" may be one day.
I'm not sure we aren't already in a period of captivity. The question is, will we "Dare to Be Daniel" and pray without ceasing, regardless of the lions that wait to devour us. Do we believe that there is yet revival to come?
"Though we sow in tears, we'll reap in joy!" (Touching Heaven, changing Earth...and right from the Bible!) Like George Bush, Sr., or not, "Stay the Course" is what we need to do when that course is righteousness through Christ!
Great post....really! :-)
Good words today Kelly, praying that they will work in our hearts to bring about a visible change and that our lights will shine brighter in this dark world. Jesus needs us shining lights for Him down here...okay so He doesn't actually need us...He could do it Himself I know...but He has asked us to do it. Let my light shine today.
Great post again! (I only wish bloglines would alert me to your new posts like it's supposed to. Maybe time for Google huh?)
The thing that really stuck out to me in that phrase is "one nation". I don't think we're one nation anymore. We're not of one mind, one goal, one God. We're many different opinions and lots of division, especially in the political realm. I'm reminded of the scripture that says a kingdom divided against itself will not stand. Let's hope we can all come together as one people serving one God and thwart a fall. Unfortunately, if the O.T. Israelites are any example, it always took captivity to get their attention.
I think people tend to put things of the past on a pedestal. I'm not sure this nation ever acted as though it were under God, fully.
No such thing as perfection :-)
Incredible post CK. I love the scripture you chose to pray for our nation. It is expected that non-believers would choose to live as the world lives with the *ME* mentality, but too many believers have also adopted this mentality and that's where the problems really lie. Not with the unbelievers so much as the believers. We need to turn our focus and look into the FACE of our LORD.
Thought provoking and challenging as always Kelly.
Its pretty easy to get caught up in the ME mentality. I'm so glad I have someone like you to give me a poke now and then!
Reading through the Bible helped me see that people seem to cycle back around with the same stuff over and over. When money flows the apathy begins and then with no adoration or devotion to God the other issues flood in.
I don't understand it from a national leader's perspective but there it is recorded over and over. History shows the same thing here nationally and throughout the globe.
Great men like Norman Vincent Peale, Billy Graham and Dwight L. Moody boiled sin down to these 3
Sex, Money, Power....the misuse of these sum it all up.
I suppose we need to pray more about these than any other thing in our lives besides our salvation.
God reigns no matter what. My eye is on Jesus Christ, the Way into the Kingdom of God forever.
We cannot be sucked into the me and mine mindset of our surrounding society and be in Christ. So we standout as "weird."
I was just wondering if anyone believes in destiny?
www.GodYesOrNo.com
Well said. Weighty matters...these times we're living in. It's not much comfort that we have seen the cycle of sin so many times. I am thankful that Jesus is our ark.
So true and so scary to think everyone is so selfish in this day and age... I am very interested in seeing what God has for us next..
Amen, CK. There is nothing else to say. Just AMEN!
off topic - furter, isn't that a word? LOL!!!! Just goes to show that those FBI agents aren't too bright, but they might be *snarky*. LOL. :p
There is far too much "It's all about ME" in our culture, and faith can do more to fix that than government can, but we were NEVER a nation of one mind, or even of one god. I used a small g deliberately. We know that there is only One God, but being under God, as everything is, doesn't mean we are Of God. No nation is. Probably, no nation can be. Abraham Lincoln observed that both sides in the Civil War prayed to the same God, that God could not fully answer the prayers of both, and did not in fact fully answer the prayers of either. He told a friend his address would not be popular, because "Men do not like to be reminded that the Almighty has purposes other than theirs." But its true, God does have purposes other than ours, including our nation. He is in control, but I doubt very much he chose who was doing to win any election. Rigging ballots and reprogramming computers doesn't quite seem like the the acts of a Lord of All. Neither does subtly brainwashing the voters. So, we have to accept responsibility for our choices, and know God is working in ways we can't even fathom.
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