A Nation Divided

 

I had a thought the other morning how God is both pro-life and pro-choice. Pro-life because He is the Giver of life--His hopes and plans for us are to thrive and prosper. Pro-choice because He loves unconditionally--without strings-- and gives us the opportunity to choose for ourselves life or death, blessings or curses. God's heart is for us, that we choose rightly according to His ways.  He wants to bless us  and make us a blessing to those around us.  He wants us to live abundant lives, to prosper and be in good health, to walk in peace and joy forever.

But often, without consulting Him for direction, we choose another path, one that seems right at the time, but ends up leading to our destruction.  God grieves when we make decisions that hurt ourselves and others.  Yet He longs for our restoration, and waits expectantly for our return, even sending His Son to come get us and heal our wounds.

Sometimes, the consequences of our sin are so devastating that it seems we will never recover.   In our nation today we can look all around us and see the ravages of a war against life--one that is meant to take out an entire generation of human beings who would otherwise declare the glory of God in the earth.  I am talking about the hateful attempt of satan to discredit God and destroy what He loves--children.  Precious lives are being stolen every day by:  Abortion.  Addiction.  Poverty and disease.  Murder.  Slavery.  Even suicide.  I grieve over the loss of these lives, the devastation and empty places they leave behind in the hearts of friends and family.  God weeps over the pain of His children as well. 

What concerns me about many of the issues that effect the lives of children is that somehow the political arena has become our main focus and vehicle for change.   In the United States I see "Christians" putting their hope and trust, not in God first, but in their political candidates, new party establishment and proposed legislative changes.  This can be good--as a band-aid.  But why not get to the root of the problems?  What America needs is a change of heart!  

God has a plan to heal and restore us if we will but turn to Him---He works all things for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purposes.  Could it be that He has given us a king that will turn this nation back to her call to greatness, not by creating just policies, but by creating unjust ones that will bring us to our knees in repentance?

I am not addressing those who have no relationship with God, but those who do and claim to be followers of Jesus Christ.  As followers of Christ, we should know that laws do not have the power to modify our behavior, but they can reveal what is in our hearts.  The legislation that is being passed in our nation today is quickly making a farce out of our constitutional rights to "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness."  The shaking we are experiencing is reminiscent to the judgments of God against Egypt when the Israelites were enslaved there.  Could it be God is trying to wake us up and expose the sin within our hearts?  Could it be He wants to free us?

Consider the following:

• When we devalue the authority of God in our lives, we empower foreign rulers to enslave us.  
• When we love money more than we love God, we see the loss of homes, jobs, and 401K's while our economy quickly falls apart. 
• When we take advantage of the poor and are unjust in our business practices, we see unemployment rise as our companies and technologies thrive in foreign lands.
• When we love ourselves more than God and others we suffer broken relationships and divorce.
• When we hide our sin and sexual immorality behind excuses, perversion invades our pulpits, schools and living rooms.
• When we refuse to stand up for truth, lawlessness fills our streets. 
• When we turn to religion instead of relationship with God we see addictions soar.
• When we don't see our children as a blessing, we lose them to abuse, suicide, senseless murder, the sex trade and...abortion.  

The list goes on.  What is evident:  When the church is corrupt, so will be the nation!  A law or set of laws will not protect us or our unborn children from the consequences of our sin.   There is the principal of reaping what we sow.  What we are experiencing is of our own doing.  And God is shaking us in hopes that we wake up soon!

The answers won't be found in political uprisings or demonstrations, or in attempting to hold on to the current systems that govern our land--these systems are failing and falling right before our eyes.  The answer is simple.  Let go, and let God!  Long ago God spoke to a people He loved, and who had wandered away from Him to worship other gods and please themselves.  His message was recorded for our benefit.  If you look in the Bible and read 2 Chronicles 2:14 you will find God's words to us:

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 will forgive their sin and heal their land.

The message is clear.  God is giving us a choice to repent and see our nation be healed, or to continue on in a way that feels good to us, but leads to destruction.  Who has ears to hear the Spirit of the Lord? 

The Tower of Babel was built by a people who wanted to reach God outside of a relationship with Him.  God destroyed it, and confused their languages so they couldn't continue.  He is doing the same with "The Church" today.  So many denominations and churches hide behind their walls, all striving to look like God and prove that their theology is the only way to heaven--the evidence of this faith is dead works.  In writing to Timothy Paul said this about people in the last days:

For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, not thankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away! For of this sort are those who creep into households and make captives of gullible women loaded down with sins, led away by various lusts, always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.  ~2 Timothy 3:2-7

God's answer to us is :  Not by might, nor by power, but by His Spirit.  If we want to save our babies, then please, let's get together on our knees before the Living God.  He will give us His strategies for walking free from the world's systems, and for building His kingdom of righteousness.  On earth as it is in heaven! 

Selah. 


Photo Credit:  flickr - Frank Kovalcheck

2 Chronicles 7:14 and 2 Timothy 2:3-7 as taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. As found on Bible Gateway.