OUR BLESSED NATION
The depth of God’s blessings on our country is on my heart this month with the upcoming inauguration of a new administration, a hopefully peaceful transition, but also the painful shadow of the very rare chaotic transition of four years ago. And that’s why I am thinking this is a good time to remind ourselves of our country’s history of blessings from above. So let’s start with this reminder and overview on the subject from the heart of Abraham Lincoln as I mentioned last time.
“We have been the recipient of the choicest bounties of Heaven; we have been preserved these many years in peace and prosperity; we have grown in numbers, wealth, and power as no other nations have 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, and we have vainly imagined, in the deceitfulness of our hearts, that all these blessings were produced by some superior wisdom and virtue of our own (search Religious Humanism; Humanist Manifesto 1).”
Choicest bounties of Heaven. I love that humble phrase as Lincoln was fully aware that all that we have is ultimately a gift from above. He is the One who has given us life in our mother’s womb, birth, family, relatives, friends, churches, schools, food, shelter, clothing, education, businesses, stores, jobs of all types, capabilities, talents, opportunities, and an extraordinary freedom in our country to take advantage of them. Not that it’s easy. But God even allows and uses the challenges, limitations, and inequities that we will indeed face (due to the sometimes poor use of “free will” on our part and others) to strengthen us and draw us closer to Himself. “When the winds blow strong, the roots grow deep.” Wow. And if you sometimes doubt our land of opportunity, do yourself a big favor and chat with a few folks who have legally immigrated here to the “land of the free and the home of the brave.”
Preserved in Peace and Prosperity. The United States has been remarkably preserved in the big picture through centuries of global wars, invasions, and attacks in comparison with so many other countries around the world. Are there pockets of violence, poverty and injustice? Of course. Jesus clearly said as much as He reminded His followers that violence (as in Roman occupation) and the poor will always be among us, even as He urged them to reach out and help them as an expression of His love, and that He will always be with us in the midst of any kind of tribulation. American good will, mission work and humanitarianism is huge around the world. Just ask them. As for prosperity, though we have our challenges like every other country, we have so much available to us it’s hard to know where to start, so let me just give you one example that stuns me every time I go there. Our local supermarket. Row upon row upon row of literally tons of far more food types than most global residents can imagine. Even we have a hard time realizing this degree of prosperity. Next time you’re there, count all the types of beans you can buy. Really. Wow! And do you know how many times the banana bin is filled? I asked. Over 40 times a day! Crazy! We are blessed beyond measure.
Growth in Numbers, Wealth and Power. I am running out of space so let me sum up this line from Lincoln’s quote by saying there is a reason why so many people are desperately trying to immigrate to our country. We have a stunning history of flourishing with blessings from above, even with a host of challenges and tragedies throughout our history as well. Of course we are not a perfect country, and that’s because none of us are perfect people. But we have a perfect God who has blessed us bountifully in our faithful founding, but as Lincoln noted, we are drifting into a spirit of taking credit for it by our own efforts apart from God. It doesn’t work that way, my friends. God is always in the mix as our faithfulness and unfaithfulness are always in the mix as well. And He adjusts and withholds much of His blessings accordingly. In short, the New Year is a great time to take a deep breath, take a good look up, and be grateful for the God of all mercies and grace.
Grateful for His Grace with you, Pastor Mark
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