America, Blessed by God

Psalm 33:12 - Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, the people He has chosen as His own inheritance. 

I love this portion of Psalm 33. I had chosen this verse for a time to add to the end my emails. We are entering into a time of celebration for the freedom this country has fought for...the freedom we still need to fight for. And yesterday our church celebrated America. We had an early celebration of our nation, honoring the servicemen and women from our church with a presentation of the flags of their respective branches of military. And we thanked God for His hand in giving us this country. This nation has been gloriously blessed by God. 

Our Pastor, Rory Grooters, spoke on our development. He said something that I had a miniscule thought on earlier in the week about patriotism without God. Only I couldn't quite put my thoughts into words until he spoke them: there is a secular patriotism and a sacred one...political ideas and ideology should not lead us away from God. 

He talked about George Washington. This nation truly was founded on biblical principles. It's why we have survived 235 years of success because God's blessing has been upon us. Other empires have not put their sole foundation on the God of all creation and they have crumbled. Look at Nazi Germany, Fascist Italy, the USSR. Where was God? It can be a worry sometimes to think that if God is successfully removed from this country what will happen to us. And yet...if there remains a remnant of true believers, we could see continued blessing.

There was a great group of people who left the confines of Great Britain that they might have freedom from oppression. They left that the freedom to worship God unhindered would be attained. They were under God's protective care as they set off for America and later fought to continue this freedom...because they humbled themselves to our Lord and Maker.

George Washington was a man of prayer. Hear the heart of a humble man who knew that only God could sustain:

       O eternal and everlasting God, I presume to present myself this morning before thy Divine majesty, beseeching thee to accept of my humble and hearty thanks, that it hath pleased thy great goodness to keep and preserve me the night past from all the dangers poor mortals are subject to, and has given me sweet and pleasant sleep, whereby I find my body refreshed and comforted for performing the duties of this day, in which I beseech thee to defend me from all perils of body and soul....

       Increase my faith in the sweet promises of the gospel; give me repentance from dead works; pardon my wanderings, and direct my thoughts unto thyself, the God of my salvation; teach me how to live in thy fear, labor in thy service, and ever to run in the ways of thy commandments; make me always watchful over my heart, that neither the terrors of conscience, the loathing of holy duties, the love of sin, nor an unwillingness to depart this life, may cast me into a spiritual slumber, but daily frame me more and more into the likeness of thy son Jesus Christ, that living in thy fear, and dying in thy favor, I may in thy appointed time attain the resurrection of the just unto eternal life bless my family, friends, and kindred.

This man knew the importance of Divine guidance. Some, but not all, presidents have or have had this same humbleness of nature and dependence upon a awe inspiring, faithful, powerful God. 

Washington wrote years after the war: “The man must be bad indeed who can look upon the events of the American Revolution without feeling the warmest gratitude toward the great Author of the Universe whose divine interposition was so frequently manifested in our behalf.” Benjamin Franklin, who was somewhat skeptical of a Divine Creator, spoke these words: “I have lived, sir, a long time, and the longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth, that God governs in the affairs of men.” Hallelujah!

Zechariah 4:6 is a perfect example of the beliefs spoken by these two men: "Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit," says the LORD of hosts. Our God is a powerful God. This nation has truly been blessed because of the freedom we have today to worship Him as we wish, and because of His love for us...because we have devoted ourselves to the worship of an Almighty God. Psalm 33:4-5 - ...all His work is done in faithfulness. He loves righteousness and justice.

We also honored our servicemen and women, as we always do around this time of year. It's always a heartwarming thing to see the flags of the branches of service presented in church by those who are serving and have served. These men and women serve, like Jesus served, for our freedom. They fight the enemies of our nation for our freedom. Jesus fights for the enemy of our soul that we might have spiritual freedom in Christ. 

However, the freedom we can have in Christ is not temporary. The Words of the Lord are true: He is the Way, the Truth and the Life. His mercies are extended to those who receive Him. We can be part of His chosen people. We can be forgiven and set free of the things  of this world that do not last forever. The only true freedom is in the Lord Jesus Christ. With Him by our side we need nothing else. He is our all in all. 

Let the cry of our hearts be that our Lord would rise up in our hearts and especially in the hearts of those who aren't familiar with His lovingkindness. Just as this nation was founded on the principles of God, let our lives have the same foundational principles. Without God, without Jesus, without His Holy Spirit, we are helpless, lost individuals. We are without a true Hope. Psalm 112: 1 -  Praise the LORD! Blessed is the man who fears the LORD, who delights greatly in His commandments. We all need a Savior and He is there for the asking. He will meet you just where you are. Take Him up on the invitation to meet with Him.

Oh, Lord, that You would provide additional proof today of our sovereignty on this earth. How You do preserve those who are in relationship with You, how You do give us pleasant sleep, refreshment and strength to carry on each day. How a person could survive without this assurance is a difficult thing to imagine. We praise You, Lord, for your Divine mercies, mercies which are new every morning. Release Your power into the hearts of the people of this nation.

Psalm 33:22 - Let Your mercy, O LORD, be upon us, just as we hope in You.