God, Please Bless the USA!

View From The Pew
"In Layman's Terms"
by Brett Dobbs

The Munday Courier

(My Hometown Weekly!)

July 2, 2008

Our founding fathers created for us one heck of a country. In the span of two hundred and thirty some odd years we have become, what some (OK, we) consider to be the greatest country in the world. I wonder if, when the pilgrims came over and named Plymouth Rock (originally named "Big, Grey, Wet, Boulder"), they said, "You know, we could be making the greatest country in the entire world. Pass the dressing". I don't think they did. I think that they just wanted the freedom to worship their Lord the way that they wanted to. I also don't think that the founding fathers intended for this country to become the "greatest" country in the world. I think that they simply were tired of being ruled by another country. A country that made them wear powdered wigs (the SWINE). I wouldn't have stood for that kind of oppression either.

Still, their efforts have yielded, in a short period of time, a GREAT country. I say that the 230 some odd years is a short time because many of the other countries have been around for thousands of years. So, 230 years is short compared to that. We are, quite honestly, new at our immense success. We are what the established rich would call the "Nouveau Riche". We are the "newly rich", in our wealth and success. This is not a good term, among the rich, and I'm sure that we make the older more established countries laugh. The "old" rich laugh at the "new" rich for their lack of priorities and their frivolous ways. That kind of sounds like us. We would rather vote for the next American Idol than our next President. We would rather chase the almighty dollar than take the time to cultivate and build strong families that instill the right values in our children. And, we would rather punch a clock at church; give God our one hour a week, than develop a deep relationship with Him that bears fruit that others can see for generations to come.

Don't get me wrong, I love this country and I'm thankful that we can criticize and satirize our country freely. That freedom is exactly what thousands of men have fought and died for. But, we have become fat and lazy on this freedom. We take it for granted. And, the majority rule that used to create the policies for this nation is now the silent majority. We are ruled by small and very vocal groups with very strong morally void opinions. But, we can't take a stand against them because there is football or baseball or, heck, we will even watch re-runs before we devote any energy to disagreeing to their point of view. And, we, as Christians, wonder why we can't find a presidential candidate that says "I pray to God before I make any decision."

We are like the church at Ephesus in the second chapter of Revelation. The church at Ephesus had experienced wealth and success and they had worked hard for it. And God commended their efforts. But then he had this to say in verse four:

"(4) Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love.
(5) Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place".

There was a word that our founding fathers used to describe God's guiding hand; it was "Providence". One definition of Providence is "The care, guardianship, and control exercised by a deity; divine direction." There are letters and journals of these great men that recount how they believe that our nation's freedom was truly the hand of Providence. They weren't caught up in what focus groups or lobbyists would think of their beliefs; they just knew what they saw and what they saw was Providence. There is even a book about their faith called "Founding Faith; Providence, Politics, and the Birth of Religious Freedom in America" by Steven Waldman. That hand may be gone from us now. I believe that God has given this nation over to the consequences of our own behavior. We have been judged by our Heavenly Father and the consequences of our foolish living is our punishment. There is still hope for this nation, but it lies in our willingness to repent and return to the hand that is Providence.

This is the time of year that we hear more than any other time the phrase, "God Bless the US". Maybe we need not shout it, or wear it, or post it in an e-mail. Maybe we need just to pray it: "God, please, bless the USA."

**********************

The Reasons They’re All Fighting For

Our liberties and freedoms are a rich, daily blessing
and our hearts should be thankful to stay,
For this country we live in and those who serve us
in the military day-after-day.
Where would we be...maybe not even free
if soldiers didn’t serve in their youth.
Because their willingness to defend us, possibly to death
is for a nation which is founded on Truth.
So here lies a thank you which pales in comparison
to the gift that they give to us all.
Thank you, oh thank you, to those dressed in uniform
who fight for the sake of the call.
Thank you is not enough to the families left behind
who carry on without their loved ones there.
May God bless you richly with courage and grace
for those moments when life isn’t fair.
Thank you to the veterans, weathered and worn
who served in wars we didn’t see.
Thank you for your service & all you endured
to prove that freedom isn't free.
Thank you to the soldiers who serve us right now
...pressing on through fatigue and through fear.
We pray for the presence of Christ to hover closely
and that you feel Him incredibly near.
May the gratitude we feel fuel your heart today
whether peace time or a country at war.
God bless our military...may we pray in remembrance
of the reasons they’re all fighting for.

© Sheila Gosney


Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD...
Psalm 33:12a

I pledge allegiance to the flag

of the United States of America

and to the Republic for which it stands,

one Nation under God,
indivisible,

with liberty and justice for all.

Have a blessed and safe 4th of July!!