What Now?
People keep asking me what I think about the recent national election. Truly, I am as dismayed as you are. I am baffled by what I see and hear and equally saddened.
We keep thinking the courts will rescue us, but they do not seem to even take the cases. All of us know that fraud occurred and is already taking place again, but our outcry falls on deaf ears.
Poor America. Granted, we have always been naïve, for we are a young nation among the civilized nations of the world. But being young, we also had the strength of a teenager. Therefore, in true teenage fashion, we blundered our way through most things. The older nations looked upon us as strong but clumsy, willing to help those in distress but a nation they could quickly just give “lip service” after their crisis passed, generous but gouache, like a nouveau riche tourist among the ruins of fallen more subtle nations.
No matter, I am proud of this naïve nation. But now, our youth and strength seem to no avail. We are dealing with the two most subtle foes a brash adolescent nation can face: a wily old Satan and an ancient nation led by false gods that has always been known as “inscrutable.”
I am not sure that pulling us out by the scruff of our neck – like a momma dog saving threaten pups – will mature us in time to understand and retaliate against such subtle foes. America has, at times, been “as harmless as doves,” but we have never been “as wise as serpents.”
Dear ones, in the past, we may have felt that our wealth and strength have saved us; but now, all of us should see the truth clearly: that it has always been God Almighty that has rescued this adolescent nation and brought her through.
In our short history, our government has become far more corrupt than most of our nation’s people could have believed. Those alive in Christ are heartbroken to see the length and breadth of this corruption.
But I still feel that if we repent and turn to God that He will heal our land. As Amos pleaded with the God of Israel for his small country, we plead with God for America because of our youth.
Amos 7:2b-3
“2 …‘Lord GOD, please pardon!
How can Jacob stand,
For he is small?’
3 The LORD changed His mind about this.
‘It shall not be,’ said the LORD.”
God stopped the destruction of that nation twice as Amos pleaded.
Even though we are citizens of our Father’s Kingdom (in spirit, we already live in the heavenly Jerusalem). Of course, we want to give this land of America as much prayer and loyalty as a faithful ambassador from that heavenly realm should give to its host nation. There is great love for this land among His children and for a nation that is called Christian, to be boldly taken over by a nation under the rulership of false gods, is an insult to our Heavenly Father.
But at times in the spiritual history of the Bible, the Father has allowed such an insult through widespread humiliation of His anointed Kings as well as of Himself at the hands of nations who worship false gods. Why? Because He is actually dealing with those of us, He calls his own.
As the psalmist states in Psalm 2:1-6
“1 Why are the nations in an uproar
And the peoples devising a vain thing?
2 The kings of the earth take their stand
And the rulers take counsel together
Against the LORD and against His Anointed, saying,
3 “Let us tear their fetters apart
And cast away their cords from us!”
4 He who sits in the heavens laughs,
The Lord scoffs at them.
5 Then He will speak to them in His anger
And terrify them in His fury, saying,
6 “But as for Me, I have installed My King
Upon Zion, My holy mountain.”
As we see here in Psalm 2, the Lord can change circumstances at any time.
So, what does He wish to see from us? Faithfulness to Him and our new family, rescued out of this world through salvation into Christ Jesus.
We know that circumstances in the world are going to get worse. As the children’s song says: “The Bible tells us so.” We were hoping for at least four more years for our president to help hold back the inevitable. But will we get those four more years? We will know soon.
Let’s keep praying and standing, hoping against hope for that reprieve – and dear children of the Living God, it will only be just that – a reprieve. The Bible tells us what the march of time will bring. It is written and will be a reality one day. We just hope it won’t be this day. But if it is – what say you? Is this generation ready to take a stand for Christ? We may have hoped that the Lord would shine forth in one way. But if He wishes to shine forth in another way, He is the One who gets to choose after all. Therefore, “Shine, Jesus, Shine.”
