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Large crowd celebrating America's 250th anniversary with Christian heritage theme and American flags

America at 250: The Importance of Faith in Our History

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We are approaching the 250th anniversary of our nation. What a milestone this is – to celebrate our country’s long-standing existence as a nation which was founded on principles gleaned from the pages of Scripture. Read carefully, thoughtfully, and prayerfully these quotes from two men who were profoundly used of God in the ongoing march of our nation’s past.

I have lived, Sir, a long time and the longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth – that God governs in the affairs of men. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without his notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without his aid? We have been assured, Sir, in the sacred writings that “except the Lord builds they labor in vain that build it.” I firmly believe this: and I also believe that without his concurring aid we shall succeed in this political building no better than the Builders of Babel. Benjamin Franklin

We have been preserved, these many years, in peace and prosperity. 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; 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. Intoxicated with unbroken success, 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! Abraham Lincoln

Two giants from the pages of history; two testimonies of their belief in God, and of the nation’s desperate need to remain faithful to Him. But look closely at their words. Listen to their hearts as they warn those who were contemporaries with them, as well as those who would follow. The warning is clear, concise, and unmistakable: Remove God, and the nation will not survive! I don’t think either of them could have made their point any clearer. And please understand that this is only two examples out of many, many others that carry the same sentiment.

I wonder what they would say as their beloved nation draws near to its 250th anniversary. Would they recognize it? Would they be pleased with the state of the nation they so loved? Or would they lament what they would witness?

I certainly can’t speak for them, but I can, through quoting these statements, let them speak once again. I would recommend that you take a few minutes to reread the quotes above. I would suggest that we not allow ourselves to read them without thinking about the seriousness of their words. These two men gave a solemn word of warning to all that would follow after them in the ongoing march into the pages of history.

I would like to draw attention to this statement from Abraham Lincoln’s words: “But we have forgotten God.” Have we, today, forgotten God’s role in the establishment, and ongoing development, of the United States of America? Have we embraced a philosophy of life that is void of the clear teachings of Scripture? Are we now, as a nation, being guided by those in powerful political offices who embrace a philosophy of how our government should lead us into the future – without the God of the Bible even getting a passing glance as they stand on the philosophical and societal principles which would only lead our nation even further down a rabbit-hole that closely resembles Alice’s: A rabbit-hole in which we meet characters who claim to love America, but who disregard the precedents of our historical past. Especially those precedents which clearly establish the Judeo-Christian heritage and foundation upon which this nation was established.

My direst worry about our nation as we celebrate this huge milestone is that the God now being embraced by multitudes of our citizenry is not the God of the Bible. The “gods” of the present day are not God! They are either false gods of other religions, or they are man-made gods who only cater to our personal and, I might add, selfish desires.

Church steeples still dot the countryside of America. But fewer and fewer continue to stand staunchly on the principles which guided our leaders from the past to make such powerful statements as those quoted above. Will the United States of America survive the onslaught of philosophical, societal, and political change? Only God knows the answer to that question. And, He is our only hope!

So, I say, “Happy Birthday, America! Celebrate! Remember! Learn from those who blazed the trail to make America great. And God, please, make America great again by turning our hearts back to YOU!

Guest Blogger – Luke Stewart

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Luke Stewart, Mesquite, TX

The following was written by my grandson, Luke Stewart. God has truly gifted him with the ability to put his thoughts into words. He is an exceptionally committed young Christian whose writings convey a deep understanding of some of the complexities of his Christian faith. I asked his permission to print this post on my blog page so that others could be blessed and encouraged by his words of wisdom. I trust that you will enjoy reading his words as much as I do.

One evening, as I was praying, I asked God if He would heal someone that I knew of a condition that they have had for some years now. This was nothing that I had never prayed about before. But, as I was praying, my prayer started to change. I prayed that God’s will be done. God’s will—God’s plan—is better than our plan.

A woman once told me that, when she is praying for someone who is sick or injured, she doesn’t simply pray that they be healed, but she prays that God’s will be done because it is better to be sick under God’s will than to be healthy outside of His will. Man, that is so good. It reminds me of one of my favorite verses in the entire Bible:

For it is better, if it is the will of God, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil. 1 Peter 3:17

God’s plan is the ultimate authority that we should be submitting to. And we have seen in God’s Word that, sometimes, poor health conditions are under the will of the Father.

Now as Jesus passed by, He saw a man who was blind from birth. And His disciples asked Him, saying, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” Jesus answered, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him.” John 9:1-3

Amen. The disciples are assuming that, in one way or another, the man’s blindness is a result of sin (whether the blind man’s or his parents), and sin is, obviously, something that goes against God—something that is outside His plan. But, Jesus told them that this was not the case. In fact, the man’s blindness was a part of God’s plan, “that the works of God should be revealed in him.” God did not create sickness, weakness, or blindness, but He can still use those things for His good—for the ultimate good. If you are familiar with the passage, you know that the man was healed of his blindness by the Lord Jesus Christ, so you might accidentally come to the conclusion that we only have sicknesses and infirmities for the purpose of being healed by God. But that is not what Jesus said. Look back at exactly what Jesus said was the purpose of the man’s blindness:

“. . . that the works of God should be revealed in him.”

No where in that verse does Jesus mention healing! Of course, the man being healed of his blindness was a huge revelation of God’s work, but let us not diminish God’s power to say that the only way He may be glorified in our trials and tribulations is by taking those things away from us. God can be glorified in anything. God is capable of anything.

And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong. 2 Corinthians 12:7-10

Amen. I hope you realize how powerful this passage is. It is not always in God’s will for us to be relieved of those things that burden us in this world. It is in His will that we would put our faith in Him, trusting that, one day, all of those things will forever perish and we will live a new, burden-free, everlasting life with our Father. That is a promise, and that promise will be fulfilled in due time. But this life that we are in right now isn’t about that. It’s not about receiving that. It’s about acknowledging it and proclaiming it and worshipping the God who gave it to us. It’s about glorifying God. And sometimes God will be glorified in healing us and removing our infirmities. Sometimes, He has other plans. But we must remember that those plans are always good. Those plans are always better than our plans. In Jesus’ name.

Luke Stewart, December 2023

Thank you, Luke, for allowing me to share your words. And thanks to all my readers who will read and be encouraged through this message. Please take this message to heart, store it in the recesses of your mind so that the truths of Luke’s message will continue to bring encouragement in the future.

Until next time:

Blessings!