God Bless America
By Grant Gaines
“Whereas, the Senate of the United States, devoutly recognizing the Supreme Authority and just Government of Almighty God, in all the affairs of men and of nations, has, by a resolution, requested the President to designate and set apart a day for National prayer and humiliation.
And whereas it is the duty of nations as well as of men, to own their dependence upon the overruling power of God, to confess their sins and transgressions, in humble sorrow, yet with assured hope that genuine repentance will lead to mercy and pardon; and to recognize the sublime truth, announced in the Holy Scriptures and proven by all history, that those nations only are blessed whose God is the Lord.
…We have been the recipients of the choicest bounties of Heaven….We have grown in numbers, wealth and power, as no other nation has ever grown. But we have forgotten God. We have forgotten the gracious hand which preserved us in peace, and multiplied and enriched and strengthened us…we have become too self-sufficient to feel the necessity of redeeming and preserving grace, too proud to pray to the God that made us!
…Now, therefore, in compliance with the request, and fully concurring in the views of the Senate, I do, by this my proclamation, designate and set apart Thursday, the 30th. day of April, 1863, as a day of national humiliation, fasting and prayer….”
(To read the whole Proclamation, go to http://www.abrahamlincolnonline.org/lincoln/speeches/fast.htm)
In 1863, that declaration—The Proclamation Appointing a National Fast Day—was approved by President Abraham Lincoln, Congress, and Senate to be sent out as a legal command by the United States government to every citizen of the Northern Union during the Civil War. Repentance, prayer, and fasting were the legal response to a nation in turmoil.
Fast forward 100 years to 1963 and this same government that once legally demanded that its citizens pray and humble themselves before the one true God now made prayers in school illegal, stating that “…there must not be an excessive entanglement between government and religion.”
In just over 150 years, our nation has drifted a long way from its foundation—the Rock that is Jesus Christ. The nation that was once humbly turned to God amidst turmoil now turns its back on God and does everything it can to remove the evidence of His presence from our presence.
With so much backsliding and moral decay in our nation, one has to ask himself what the root of this problem is and how can it be fixed. And while you can certainly throw out a laundry list of reasons as to why our nation is quickly regressing, today I want to point out one simple observation.
This observation is rooted from a story in Exodus 17. As the Israelites were escaping the oppression of Egypt, they found themselves under heavy attack by the Amalekites. Amidst chaos and turmoil, Israel’s leader—Moses—sent the troops out to the battle lines while he and his two friends—Aaron and Hur—went to the top of the mountain overlooking the battlefield. From this bird’s eye view, Moses began to pray for his nation. As long as Moses’ hands were extended to heaven in prayer, the Israelites advanced against their enemies. However, whenever Moses lowered his hands and spiritual fervency, the enemies gained ground on the Israelites.
The United States is currently in a similar situation that the Israelites found themselves in in Exodus 17. We may not be fighting in a physical battle but we are certainly locked into a spiritual war like we have never seen before. Sin isn’t just accepted in our country, it’s actually welcomed, supported, and defended by our government and we the people. And forgive me if I’m oversimplifying this but I truly believe that when God said in 2 Chronicles 7:14 (NIV), “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 I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land,” that He actually meant it.
I truly do believe that if–as a body of believers–we lift our hands in prayer for our nation just as Moses did in Exodus 17, God will hear our prayers and will advance His cause against the enemies of moral decay. I really do think it’s as simple as His followers—you and me—getting back into the trenches of prayer and waging a spiritual war on behalf of our nation. I believe our hands have been lowered for far too long as we’ve grown weary of the battle. We’ve listened and allowed the government to dictate how we pray, when we pray, and where we pray as our nation slips farther and farther into the swamp of sin.
It’s time to listen to the true authority—the Lord—who commands us to pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17) and more specifically to pray for the spiritual wellbeing of our nation (2 Chronicles 7:14).
As we celebrate the United States of America on this fourth of July, won’t you join me in lifting our hands in supplication for our nation? As a body of prayer warriors, the Enemy can be driven back and our nation can return to the Lord.
Our government may not be calling for a National Day of Prayer, but our God is. Will you answer His call?
“All this being done, in sincerity and truth, let us then rest humbly in the hope authorized by the Divine teachings, that the united cry of the Nation will be heard on high, and answered with blessings, no less than the pardon of our national sins, and the restoration of our now divided and suffering Country, to its former happy condition of unity and peace”
— The Proclamation Appointing a National Fast Day
“Return, faithless people; I will cure you of backsliding….”
–Jeremiah 3:22 (NIV)
Comments? Questions? Suggestions?
©Grant Gaines 2013
