First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. (1 Timothy 2:1-2 NASB)
In 1976 the United States celebrated its 200th birthday. If you are old enough to remember, you know how exciting a time it was as America proudly marked the Bicentennial of its independence. All over the country, on Sunday, July 4th, extraordinary events were held. In Fort Worth, Texas, where we were living at the time, we went to church for a special patriotic worship service about 5 pm. Afterward, everyone loaded up in buses to go to Trinity River Park for the grand city festivities. They were going to have live patriotic music, an Air Force jet fly over, army rangers were going to parachute in, boats were going to parade down the river, and they were even going to fire off a howitzer. It would all end with a gigantic fireworks display.
Well, at about 7:30 pm, just as they were getting everything started, wouldn’t you know, a torrential thunder storm hit and completely washed it all out. No music, no fly over, no skydivers, no howitzer, and no fireworks. Oh well, even though we all got soaking wet, we were happy anyway. It was the event we were celebrating that mattered most, not the revelries.
That was more than forty years ago. I remember at the time Christians were just starting to feel the growing dissonance of American culture against Biblical Christianity. Abortion had been legalized, drugs were widely used, we had just lost an unpopular war, and the sexual revolution was at full speed. We all wondered what the future would bring. Was America in great trouble?
So what did we do? All across the country Christians began to pray. The Jesus Movement was waning but there remained the effects of that short-lived spiritual revival. As result, God allowed this country to continue on into the 21st century. Today, as then, our nation needs the prayers of God’s people. I want to suggest that we need to pray for two desperate needs for the preservation of our land in this century.
First, we must pray for our nation that it will uphold moral righteousness. The prophet Micah made this important statement:
He has told you, O man, what is good;
And what does the LORD require of you
But to do justice, to love kindness,
And to walk humbly with your God? (Micah 6:8 NASB)
Notice the three basic requirements God gave to His people in Israel. He said to do justice, love kindness, and humbly walk with Him. That is just as valid now as when Micah wrote it 2700 years ago. Though we should not regard the United States as in the came category as Israel (we are not His Chosen People), the principles that God laid down for the Hebrews are universal. As Paul says (see 1 Tim. 2:1-2 above) God’s people (born-again Christians) should pray for the government, its leaders, and all people. When we pray for the moral and spiritual health of the nation it has an effect. God will honor those intercessory invocations. However, if we neglect to lift our country up, we put it in danger of falling into the pit of decadence which leads to judgment. Make no mistake about it, we are not exempt from God’s justice.
My father was an army officer during World War II. He was not a combat soldier so he never faced enemy fire (though he did get close a couple of times). Thank God he did not, I might not be here if he had. In any case, he had a small military New Testament that he was given before going overseas that he kept in his uniform pocket over his heart. It had a metal cover which was symbolic of God’s protection (I doubt it would have actually stopped a bullet). As a boy, I remember looking at that little King James Bible. Inside, just before the title page, was a picture of the United States’ flag with 48 stars. Under the flag was a Scripture verse from Proverbs 14:34. It read: “Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people.”
That short proverb is still true. When the citizens of a nation (any nation) seek to live righteous lives and select leaders who do likewise, God will bless them. Conversely, a nation whose people arrogantly scorn the precepts of God’s word cannot expect His gracious protection. Having a strong military and prosperous economy are important, but we must never forget that true national strength comes from a spiritual basis most of all.
In the decades since the Bicentennial the USA has continued in a downward moral spiral. Certain behaviors were, until recently, universally taboo in nearly every culture on earth. Now, despite the majority votes of Congress and various states, those acts are considered a Constitutional right by the US Supreme Court (where they are mentioned in the Constitution is beyond me). Anyone who might object or feel they violate his or her religious convictions is often vilified and labeled a bigot.
I don’t know if it is too late to reverse the slippery slide, but we must still pray God will withhold His judgment. This can only happen when, as a people, we look to Him. So second, we should pray for our nation that it will experience a spiritual revival. That must start first in the “house of Lord,” that is, among Christians (1 Peter 4:17). How can we expect our society to embrace godly standards when we don’t even uphold them in our churches?
In Psalm 85, the Psalmist recounts how God had blessed Israel. He reminded God that He had forgiven them in the past of their sins (lots of them – even back in the wilderness of Sinai) when they turned their back to Him.
1 O LORD, You showed favor to Your land;
You restored the captivity of Jacob.
2 You forgave the iniquity of Your people;
You covered all their sin.
3 You withdrew all Your fury;
You turned away from Your burning anger.
4 Restore us, O God of our salvation,
And cause Your indignation toward us to cease.
5 Will You be angry with us forever?
Will You prolong Your anger to all generations?
6 Will You not Yourself revive (lit. bring to life) us again,
That Your people may rejoice in You?
7 Show us Your lovingkindness O LORD,
And grant us Your salvation. (Psalm 85:1-7 NASB)
Think of our own nation. God blessed America. But, on many occasions, He has had to judge and then, when we repented, forgive our sins (eg.: slavery and the Civil War). Today, the USA needs a real revival, a genuine movement of God. Pray fervently God will send it and His people will respond. Let us “do justice, love kindness, and to walk humbly with God. Only in that way will our grandchildren, in 2076, celebrate America’s Tercentennial (300 years)!
© 2018 Tal Davis