I’m Not Throwing in the Towel on America Yet

There's still hope for a few more years of liberty, and here's why.

“Righteousness alone can exalt [America] as a nation. Reader! Whoever thou art, remember this; and in thy sphere practice virtue thyself, and encourage it in others… [T]he great pillars of all government and of social life: I mean virtue, morality, and religion. This is the armor, my friend, and this alone, that renders us invincible.”

–Patrick Henry

Twenty-first century scholars often try to pour cold water on the faith of our founders, but they do so in spite of history. I’m sure that some of you folks who read this newsletter get tired of me talking about these godly men; however, I’ve spent many decades reading what they wrote and said about their firm belief that God is real. No doubt about it, they were convinced that the Almighty rewards any nation that centers their government on the idea that God alone can direct our steps. So, keeping quiet about the foundation of America’s greatness isn’t something you can count on me doing.

God Turns Individuals and Nations Around

As Patrick Henry said in the above quote, they were convinced that any nation that humbles itself before God and admits its rebellion will be healed by God. They didn’t come up with this revolutionary idea on their own — God himself put this principle to parchment hundreds of years before Christ came on the scene:

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. (2 Chronicles 7:14)

Occasionally, I see the same news that you see. Admittedly, it looks bad. Some of it is even shocking. Violence, hatred, discord, fits of rage, selfish ambition, drug and alcohol addiction, envy, and unbridled sexual passion. You know, the stuff you see in Galatians chapter five — the acts of the sinful nature. And I’m like some of you are — I am tormented by what I see and hear.

I Still Have Hope, America

But I’m not throwing in the towel on America just yet. For one thing, God has given all of us who call on the name of the Lord a message that will change the direction of anyone’s life if they hear it and believe it. It will also redirect a nation if enough people accept it as true.

And here is where my hope lies. In 1 Corinthians 6, Paul compiled a list of sins similar to the ones I listed above. Then he said something very interesting, something that can give us hope. He said about those sinners, “And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.”

When Paul said that some of his readers “were” formerly guilty of these sins, he meant what he said. He was referring to their former way of life when unrighteousness controlled them. His point is that what someone is today isn’t what they are once they have an encounter with the living Christ. Once a person runs headlong into the God who loves them and died for them, and once they repent of their sins and admit that he is Lord, they aren’t the same anymore. 

Millions Are Praying for Revival

The other reason I’m not throwing in the towel on America just yet is that I’ve been praying diligently (along with millions of other believers) that God will usher in a new era of revival — that we will return to our spiritual roots. He’s done it before, and I’m hopeful that he will do it again. 

Not everything that men believed and practiced in the past is worth imitating today. In fact, you could argue that our founders were sinful and flawed men. If you’re saying that, I have a news flash for you: Jefferson and Adams and all the founders would agree. This is why they didn’t put too much emphasis on the wisdom of mankind and sought instead to seek God’s counsel. They’re the ones who argued that we are all equal for one reason and one reason only — we were created equal. When they put the blueprint for America to paper, they did so by pointing upward, not to man.

They did this because man doesn’t get to determine who’s worth it — God is the only one qualified to make that judgement, and our founders knew that. When America forgets that one thing, we’re in trouble because when we get to decide who is important — equal — someone’s going to get the short end of the stick. Someone is going to be left out in the cold.  

And by the way, I didn’t come up with that on my own either. Thomas Jefferson said it long before I burst forth on the scene. 

“And can the liberties of a nation be thought secure when we have removed their only firm basis, a conviction in the minds of the people that these liberties are of the gift of God? That they are not to be violated but with His wrath? Indeed I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just; that his justice cannot sleep forever.” 

 So, I spend my time pleading with people to return to the God who created them, loved them, died for them, and was raised from the dead for them. I pray for us all to return to the faith of our flawed founders — faith in a God who is not flawed. I just figure that if we can convince enough people to turn around and pursue him, we might squeeze a few more years of liberty out of this great country of ours.

I’ve been running after God for almost 50 years, so I’m not about to stop doing that. If I wind up being the only one loving God, so be it. But I sure would love to see millions more Americans doing the same thing. 

All I can tell you is that Jefferson was right, in my opinion: God’s “justice cannot sleep forever.” So, let’s get busy telling folks about Jesus. I believe that God will reward us for it.