Our Nation's 250th Anniversary

​As we celebrate the 250th anniversary of our nation, I cannot think of a better Scripture to embrace than Psalm 33:12. "Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people He has chosen as His own inheritance." (NKJV) Our nation has been blessed by God. This is so because our Founding Fathers honored and sought God. If we want that blessing to continue, we will need to welcome His presence.
 
May I suggest that the freedoms we enjoy are God-given but do not come without expectations. In fact, the story of the Israelites and their freedom from Egypt became an inspiration for our Founding Fathers. We can find the Ten Commandments, Scripture quotes, and artwork depicting Biblical scenes in our United States Capitol, the Supreme Court, federal buildings, and in many of our State Capitols. Our United States Constitution was modeled after Old Testament concepts of covenant with an agreement between the people and our government.
 
The Bible was the most important book in the founding of our nation and was used as a textbook in schools from elementary to college level. I ran across an interesting story about a Bible shortage in America during the War for Independence. A committee from the Continental Congress saw that the "Bible is so universal and its importance so great” that they recommended that the Committee of Commerce import 20,000 Bibles. The order was given on September 11, 1777. The Bibles were delivered to America with most of them coming from Holland and Scotland.
 
The citizens of the United States have a similar mandate to the Israelites who were set free to be a nation that shared the love of God with the world. The formation of our nation is rooted in Christianity. We share a moral framework and cultural inheritance with the Jewish people. Our founders, George Washington and John Adams, understood that a free government requires a morally and religiously guided populace. The Declaration of Independence draws on Biblical principles of justice and human worth, and the United States Constitution was modeled on Old Testament concepts of covenant.
 
I must express my concern for the road on which our nation is traveling. Tony Perkins, President of the Family Research Council, authored an article on June 20 entitled "If we Forget our Story, we Lose our Identity.” Our nation is rooted in Christianity, and the Bible is the foundational document of America. Tony writes, “As America celebrates its 250th anniversary, we have an opportunity not merely to commemorate our history but to recover it.”
 
Benjamin Franklin made a statement that should make all of us stop and think about our heritage: "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?" I think not. It is time for us to acknowledge our God-given heritage and to return to our Christian roots. The anti-Christian and anti-American sentiment that is rising in our nation will destroy it. Only God can restore us and set us back onto the right track. We must cry out to the Lord for national repentance and revival. 2 Chronicles 7:14 should be our mandate. "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 I will forgive their sin and will heal their land." Amen!