Posted by
Ikester on Thursday, May 01, 2008 7:18:33 PM
On this National Day of Prayer, isn't it appropriate to pause and reflect on how wonderfully God has blessed America? I offer the following to spur us on to ponder the state that our land is in at present.
The book of Deuteronomy is one of the Old Testament's greatest. It is actually Moses' farewell address to Israel just before they went in to conquer their homeland. Moses was not to go with them from this point on and so he presented what we have as thirty-four chapters, to remind them of who their God was and to set clearly before them what He expected of them and the consequences if they ignored Him.
"See, I have taught you statutes and judgments just as the Lord my God commanded me, that you should do thus in the land where you are entering to possess it. So keep and do them, for that is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples who will hear all these statutes and say, 'Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.' For what great nation is there that has a god so near to it as is the Lord our God whenever we call on Him? Or what great nation is there that has statutes and judgments as righteous as this whole law which I am setting before you today? Only give heed to yourself and keep your soul diligently, so that you do not forget the things which your eyes have seen and they do not depart from your heart all the days of your life; but make them known to your sons and your grandsons." Deuteronomy 4:5-9
These words were spoken and written down originally for Israel, but they certainly apply to our nation and any other that will honor the God of the Bible. When any nation turns away from God, it begins a downward spiral into paganism and despair. Just look at nations like India, Middle Eastern nations, Cuba, China, and the list could go on and on, where atheism, paganism and false religions permeate the land and also note the misery, poverty and hopelessness. Any nation, in history, who has honored the God of the Bible, has turned from the pit of despair and has risen to great blessing. Note nations like Israel, Great Britain and other lands who honor God and note the blessings. Note the following warning and promise that God makes to His people.
"When you become the father of children and children's children and have remained long in the land, and act corruptly, and make an idol in the form of anything, and do that which is evil in the sight of the Lord your God so as to provoke Him to anger, I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that you will surely perish quickly from the land where you are going over the Jordan to possess it. You shall not live long on it, but will be utterly destroyed. The Lord will scatter you among the peoples, and you will be left few in number among the nations where the Lord drives you. There you will serve gods, the work of man's hands, wood and stone, which neither see nor hear nor eat nor smell. But from there you will seek the Lord your God, and you will find Him if you search for Him with all your heart and all your soul. When you are in distress and all these things have come upon you, in the latter days you will return to the Lord your God and listen to His voice. For the Lord your God is a compassionate God; He will not fail you nor destroy you nor forget the covenant with your fathers which He swore to them." Deuteronomy 4:25-31
God's compassion is conditional on our obedience to Him. If America turns her back on God and His word we can expect the same kind of judgment that Israel received at the hands of the Babylonians. So, what is the answer? Read on!
"... and My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land." 2 Chronicles 7:14
Isn't America worth our personal effort to restore our great nation back to her God and the principles on which it was founded at the start? The answer must come from each individual American. I hope your answer is, "YES!"
Ikester