Our National Need
by Pastor Lee Hemen
July 2, 2006
Our Nation’s History
On July 4,1776, there was signed in the City of Philadelphia one of America’s historic documents: the Declaration of Independence. It marked the birth of this nation which, under God, was destined for world leadership.
We often forget that, in declaring independence from an earthly power, our forefathers made a forthright declaration of dependence upon Almighty God. The closing words of this document solemnly declare:
‘With a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor.”
The fifty-six courageous men who signed that document understood that this was not just high-sounding rhetoric. They knew that if they succeeded, the best they could expect would be years of hardship in a struggling new nation. If they lost, they would face a hangman’s noose as traitors.
Of the fifty-six, few were long to survive. Five were captured by the British and tortured before they died. Twelve had their homes, from Rhode Island to Charleston, sacked, looted, occupied by the enemy, or burned. Two Signing of The Declaration of independence lost their sons in the army. One had two sons captured. Nine of the fifty-six died in the war, from its hardships or from its bullets.
Whatever ideas you have of the men who met that hot summer in Philadelphia, it is important that we remember certain facts about the men who made this pledge: they were not poor men, or wild-eyed pirates. They were men of means; rich men, most of them, who enjoyed much ease and luxury in their personal lives. Not hungry men, but prosperous men, wealthy landowners, substantially secure in their prosperity, and respected in their communities.
But they considered liberty much more important than the security they enjoyed, and they pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor. They fulfilled their pledge. They paid the price. And freedom was won.
Someone has said, “To be born free is a privilege. To die free is an awesome responsibility.”
Yet freedom is never free. It is always purchased at great cost.
Little did John Adams know how significant his words would be when he spoke to his wife, Abigail, on the passing of the Declaration of lndependence, “I am well aware of the toil, and blood, and treasure, that it will cost to maintain this declaration, and support and defend these states; yet, through all the gloom I can see rays of light and glory. I can see that the end is worth more than all the means.”
John Adams related, “ Posterity—you will never know how much it has cost my generation to preserve your freedom. I hope you will make good use of it.”
Thomas Payne wrote, “That we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly; it is dearness only that gives everything value. Heaven knows how to put a price upon its goods, and it would be strange indeed if so celestial an article as freedom should not be highly rated.”
“For the support to this declaration, with firm reliance on the protect of the Devine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other, our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor.” – Declaration of Independence.
Our Nation’s Heritage
In the summer of 1787, representatives met in Philadelphia to write the Constitution of the United States. After they had struggled for several weeks and had made little or no progress, eighty-one-year-old Benjamin Franklin rose and addressed the troubled and disagreeing convention that was about to adjourn in confusion.
“In the beginning of the contest with Britain, when we were sensible of danger, we had daily prayers in this room for Divine protection. Our prayers, Sir, were heard and they were graciously answered. All of us who were engaged in the struggle must have observed frequent instances of a superintending Providence in our favor… Have we now forgotten this powerful Friend? Or do we imagine we no longer need His assistance?
“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 man. 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 build the house, they labor in vain that build it. I firmly believe this… I therefore beg leave to move that, henceforth, prayers imploring the assistance of Heaven and its blessing on our deliberation be held in this assembly every morning.”
The very purpose of the very first Pilgrims in 1620 was to establish a government based on the Bible: “To advance the enlargement of Christian religion, tho the glory of Almighty God….” In fact, all the individual colonies reaffirmed the reliance on Christ. Rhode island’s Charter is a good example: “WE submit our persons, lives, and estates unto our Lord Jesus Christ, the Kind of kings and Lord of lords and to all those perfect and most absolute laws of His given us in His Holy Word.”
In his inaugural address to Congress, the first president of our nation, George Washington, stressed God’s role in the birth of this republic: “No people can be bound to acknowledge and adore the invisible hand which conducts die affairs of men more than the people of the United States. Every step by which they have advanced to the character of an independent nation seems to have been distinguished by some token of providential agency… We ought to be no less persuaded that the propitious smiles of heaven cannot be expected on a nation that disregards the eternal rules of order
and right, which heaven itself has ordained.”
Continuing through the decades of history, we find in the inaugural addresses of all the Presidents, and in the Constitution of all fifty of our states, without exception, references to the Almighty God of the universe, the Author and Sustainer of our liberty.
Abraham Lincoln stated: “It is the duty of nations, as well as of men, to own their dependence upon the overruling power of God 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.”
Our nation’s heritage is one of Christianity.
Our Nation’s Hope
In the brief history of our own country since we gained our independence, we can look back upon a tremendous heritage of political freedom founded upon a biblical faith and a biblical understanding of the nature of man. Moreover, we can look back upon the material signs of God’s blessing in a fruitful and bounteous country, with success in almost every enterprise in war and peace.
But within my own lifetime, I have seen the most ferocious assaults on Christian faith and morals; first on the part of the intellectual community, and then on the part of the government. Especially in the last 25 years, the federal government has not even tried to conceal its hostility to religion; now, with many of our churches in disarray, the attack is being prepared against the family as the last bastion opposing the totalitarian state. Militant atheists and socialists have gone very far in imposing their view of life and man on almost every American institution.
And what have we reaped as a nation from our many personal and collective delinquencies? Atheistic schools, rampaging crimes, God-forsaken homes, drugs, abortion, pornography, permissiveness, a sense of cynicism, and spiritual desolation absolutely unprecedented in our country’s history.
The Israelites in their time also opted for the “New Morality.” They were as enthusiastic as many of our contemporary thinkers about situation ethics, for we read, “In those days, there was no king in Israel; but every man did what was right in his own eyes (Judges 17:6).”
It is debatable at just what point the United States began to drift away from its Christian heritage. But I think we reached that point when many Americans turned away from the idea of salvation through Christ to that of salvation through technology or science or material affluence or the welfare state.
When all these turned out to be dead ends, Americans began to seek escape, and the purveyors of drugs and pornography and vicarious violence were there to meet the need. Human nature left to its own devices has always been a wretched failure at explaining the meaning and destiny of life.
I have often meditated upon why God chose the time and place He did for his Son to be born into the world. In the long preparation for the coming of Christ, the world had seen the tremendous achievements of many civilizations. But neither the intellectual brilliance of the Greeks; or the sober
morals of the ancient Romans; nor the technological and organizational genius of the later Romans were enough to still the discontent of human hearts. God chose an obscure outpost of a decadent empire as the birthplace of His Son, and upon all the debris of human pride and presumption there came forth the anointed Savior. From that day to this, there has been only one Light of the World, one Hope of Mankind.
By and large our people look in the wrong direction for their deliverance. As Christians we need to work with missionary zeal to reinstate the rule of Christ in our sadly demoralized country.
I pray every day for a rebirth of the spiritual values that made us a nation in the first place. If the Spirit of God were to rouse 200 million Americans to action, there is no describing the greatness and glory in store for this country, nor the blessings forthcoming to nations now held captive if and when, once again, the United States rededicates itself to the cause of freedom under God’s Law.
Our Nation’s Prayer
First, confess to God the sins that our nation has committed. When Nehemiah learned of the troublesome situation Jerusalem was in, he prayed confessing “…the sins of the children of Israel, which we have sinned against thee: both I and my father’s house have sinned. We have dealt very corruptly against thee, and have not kept the commandments nor the statutes, or the judgments, which thou commanded thy servant Moses” (Nehemiah. 1:6,7).
When you pray for our nation, first ask God to forgive our national sins. Repent for the sexual perversion we have tolerated as legitimate, alternate lifestyles. Repent that the foundation of our families has been destroyed, that we no longer hold the marriage vows sacred as God does. Repent of our sin of the legalized murder of over 30 million unborn babies, created in the image of God. Repent for allowing our children to be indoctrinated with secular humanism in the public schools. Confess to God every stand that our nation has taken contrary to His standards of right living.
Then plead with God to have mercy on our nation, to bring about a national movement of prayer, repentance, and obedience to His laws.
Secondly, Scripture commands us to remember to pray for our leaders.
The vast majority of Christians in America have neglected to exercise their right as God’s children to pray for our nation, its leadership, and our return to His mercy and grace. Far too many churches are more concerned about not offending anyone than they are aout the fate of their nation and its people.
Because of our neglect God has allowed us to be ruled by people who are motivated by selfishness, humanistic thinking, and peer pressure.
There is another group of people who need our prayers. In this hour of crisis, we must intercede/or the men God has raised up to lead His people in the fight against the forces of Satan in this nation. These Christian leaders are vulnerable to constant attack because of the stand they are taking for God. We need to pray that God will put a hedge of protection around them, that they will be able to discern what God wants to say, and that they will have the courage to speak God’s message without
ever faltering or retreating.
Finally, we need to pray for the millions of people in our nation who are trapped by sin. It is easy for us to criticize the sins that are destroying our very foundation; but we must love and pray for those who are slaves to alcohol, drugs, sex, money, and self. So many people are experiencing the empty, painful consequences of their rebellion against God. We as believers in Christ must stand in the gap for our nation and its people who are enslaved to sin.
Are you willing to bend your knees and heart and come to Him in heartfelt prayer for your nation, your State, your community, your neighborhood, and your family? The battle for men’s souls in America’s churches has been reduced to a corporate strategy likened to Wal-Mart. It is no longer seen as a war to be won and a kingdom to be established, rather churches focus on seminar style pablum, hoping to attract the world by being as much like the world as they can be.
God reminds us out of His most sacred Word that “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 will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land. Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayers offered in this place (2 Chronicles 7:14-15).”
Are you willing to be the Christian and the American God has called you to be?
PastorBlastor 
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