By John Mitchell
We hear the popular words that together, “We will make America prosperous again. We will make America safe again. We will make America great again,” repeated over and over again in the political rallies our President conducts. No doubt they are wonderful words and they stir the hope that it will be possible to see America this way again. But words are not enough.
Soon we will be observing the 243rd anniversary of the founding of our nation, The United States of America. Never has there been such a nation in the history of humanity, except ancient Israel under King Solomon. When you study the nation of Israel under Solomon you find so many parallels to the founding and blessings of America.
The Bible is so very plain in its description of what it takes to have a blessed, prosperous, happy, and safe nation; equally plain is when we see man’s unlearned lessons of history repeat themselves. It is as true today as it was then. When a nation’s leaders and a nation’s people turn from and no longer acknowledge Almighty God as Lord of that nation, that nation and its people are doomed to the ash heap of history. As it was with Israel of old, so shall it be with America today, unless there is a national and personal repentance of our sins, coupled with national and personal prayer and fasting (yes, that too) and seeking Almighty God in spirit and truth.
It is only by the greatness of God that America has been great! With all her faults, America is still the greatest place on earth to live! Let’s talk about that for a bit. First, look and consider the great beauty of this nation. From sea to shining sea we have every conceivable beauty of God’s creation. Seashores, mountains, prairies, lakes, rivers, forests, Muir Woods, Lake Tahoe; we could go for an hour listing them. But, for all its natural beauty, that is not what makes America great.
America’s Great Freedoms
The trend for many years in America has been anti-Americanism and anti-patriotism. The UN is doing much to strip us of our sovereignty. Our teachers are teaching our youth “revisionist” history to undermine the character and integrity of our founding fathers. They teach that our founders were not motivated by principle but by property; were motivated by greed and desire for wealth. Is that true?
Well, permit me to take a stroll down America’s “memory lane” and let us see what type of men and women they were. Read the words of the people and leaders who were imbued with true principles and integrity as they carved and shaped this new nation of freedom…
“No nation has ever existed or been governed without religion. Nor can be. The Christian religion is the best religion that has been given to man and I, as Chief Magistrate of this nation, am bound to give it the sanction of my example.” — Thomas Jefferson
“It cannot be emphasized too strongly or too often that this great nation was founded not by religionists, but by Christians; not on religions, but on the Gospel of Jesus Christ.”—Patrick Henry, Statesman and Orator
“Never forget, Americans, that yours is a spiritual country. Yes, I know you’re practical people. Like others, I’ve marvelled at your factories, your skyscrapers, and your arsenals. But underlying everything else is the fact that America began as a God-loving, God-fearing, God-worshipping people.”— General Romulo, General of the Philippines
“Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, religion and morality are indispensable supports. It is impossible to rightly govern the world without God and the Bible.”— George Washington, 1st U.S. President
“While we give praise to God, the supreme disposer of all events, for His interposition on our behalf, let us guard against the dangerous error of trusting in, or boasting of, an arm of flesh…If your case is just, if your principles are pure, and if your conduct is prudent, you need not fear the multitude of opposing hosts.”— John Witherspoon, signer of the Declaration of Independence
“Americans should select and prefer Christians as their rulers.”— John Jay, the first Supreme Court Justice
“We have staked the whole of all our political institutions upon the capacity of mankind for self-government, upon the capacity of each and all of us to govern ourselves, to control ourselves, to sustain ourselves according to the Ten Commandments of God.”— James Madison, the fourth president, known as “The Father of Our Constitution”
“We all can pray. We all should pray. We should ask the fulfillment of God’s will. We should ask for courage, wisdom, for the quietness of soul which comes alone to them who place their lives in His hands”— Harry Truman, 33rd President
“I conceive we cannot better express ourselves than by humbly supplicating the Supreme Ruler of the world…that the confusions that are and have been among the nations may be overruled by the promoting and speedily bringing in the holy and happy period when the kingdoms of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ may be everywhere established.”— Samuel Adams, American Revolutionist and signer of the Declaration of Independence
“We think it is incumbent upon this people to humble themselves before God on account of their sins…[And] also to implore the Divine Blessing upon us, that by the assistance of His grace, we may be enabled to reform whatever is amiss among us, that so God may be pleased to continue to us the blessings we enjoy.”— John Hancock, American Revolutionist, and signer of the Declaration of Independence
“The time has come to turn to God and reassert our trust in Him for the healing of America…Our country is in need of and ready for a spiritual renewal.”—Ronald Reagan, 40th President
Our Guilt Consumes Us
For many, many years, America has been slowly turning its back on the God who made her great. Today, as ancient Israel did, we are rejecting God to a point which He will not tolerate any longer. The space of time for national repentance is about over. In the book of Deuteronomy, Chapter 28, verses 1, 15, and 20 we find that the nation that does not have God as its Lord will reap destructive curses. Why? “Because of the wickedness of thy doings, whereby you have forsaken me.”
Forsaking God was accelerated in America when on June 25, 1962, the US Supreme Court removed prayer in our nation’s schools. On that day, 39 million of our impressionable youth were denied their God given freedom to open their school day with prayer. And so was every generation since. The Ten Commandments were removed from the classroom walls. The worship and word of God was forsaken and replaced with the worship and word of “secular humanism.”
Every foul and abominable sin is openly displayed in America. The state has become the object of worship. Those in positions of current liberal leadership feel guilty that God has blessed us so and that they must take it away and “re-distribute” our blessings to other nations. Our former president traveled the world on his “apology tour” for America. He demeaned us everywhere he went and every time he opened his mouth.
America’s Greatness
Today there is a desperate effort underway to undo the damage done to the freedoms we enjoy as Americans. Our current president openly speaks of his trust in God and is working hard to repeal the many onerous regulations and administrative orders that have crippled freedoms in America. But he cannot without the help of the citizens of this nation.
Listen to the words so often referred to by former president Ronald Reagan, found in II Chronicles 7:14 of the Bible: “If my people, which are called by my name, shall 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.”
The solution is not in the white house, the state house, or the court house. The solution to restoring America lies in your house and my house. A poem by Jessie Alberta Silvernail Card reads thus:
“So long as there are homes where fires burn; and there is bread;
“So long as there are homes where lamps are lit and prayers are said;
“Although people falter through the dark; and nations grope;
“With God Himself behind these homes we still have hope.”
America is Still Great
Despite all our problems, the USA is still the greatest nation on earth. When you hear the “Star Spangled Banner,” “God Bless America,” “It’s a Grand Old Flag,” “My Country Tis of Thee,” Americans should snap to and pay attention. When you see elderly men and women wearing VFW or American Legion hats marching in a parade, perhaps stooped over and slightly out of step from age or disability, show them appreciation and respect. When you see the young men and women of our current armed forces in a parade ramrod straight and marching in perfect cadence, maybe with Air Force jets flying overhead; when you hear the stirring melodies of our different military branches boom out; when the Honor guard carrying that beautiful American Flag passes by, stand with your right hand over your heart and understand its meaning.
There are 13 Stripes representing our original 13 colonies. The red stripes represent the blood that has been shed by men and women from the first shot at Concord to found this nation to the shots ringing out in Iraq and Afghanistan today to keep it free. The white stripes represent the light that comes from God. The blue background represents the vast expanse of America and the white stars our 50 States.
Americans hearts should swell with proper pride in this magnificent country. Don’t be ashamed to get a lump in your throat, and tears in your eyes. When you see, either at the Local Cemetery, or overlooking the Normandy Beach of France’s WWII Cemetery, or at the Arlington National Cemetery, those white crosses or Jewish Stars of David standing in long, long rows or the bronze military markers that lie flat on the graves of veterans, realize that America’s greatness and freedom has come at a very high price! Enjoy the freedoms which have come at a very high price to others, but are free to us!
