America’s fate and future are not finally in the hands of our military or our governmental leaders or our corporate giants or our educational institutions. God reigns over all nations. Those nations that are useful for His purposes receive God’s blessings. Those nations that contravene His purposes end up on history’s junk heap. If you want evidence of that truth, consider Nazi Germany, Stalin’s Soviet Union, and Saddam Hussein.
The jury is still out on America. Genesis 18 suggests to me that if God can find a faithful, prayerful, righteous minority in America, that minority can be God’s raw material for saving the nation. Could we—America’s faith community—serve as that raw material for God’s miraculous work within our nation?
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I love a story told by General Omar Bradley in his autobiography. General Bradley boarded a commercial plane one day, wearing a business suit. He began working on some important papers. It so happened that his seatmate was a private in the U.S. Army, who was rather gregarious. This private, who didn’t recognize the General, said, “Sir, we are going to be traveling together for quite a while, so it would be nice if we got to know one another. I’m guessing that you are a banker.” Bradley, not wanting to be rude, but wanting to get some work done, replied, “No, I am not a banker. I am General Bradley, head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff at the Pentagon.” After a slight pause, the young soldier said, “Wow, sir, that is a very important job. I sure hope you don’t blow it.” 3 It is an understatement to say that we Christians have a vital role to play in America’s future, and we dare not blow it.
When I consider the biblical witness as a whole, I find four ways in which people of faith can serve both God and country. First,
Pray daily for America and her leadership. Prayer should never be a last resort but always the first alternative. Praying for America is the ultimate form of patriotism.
The best recipe for national health and salvation was given by God in 2 Chronicles 7:14: “If my people who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land” (NIV).
A second task for the faith community is to...
Without question, the Bible tilts in the direction of the sick and the poor. The code words in the Bible are: Remember the widow and the orphan.