Month: July 2012

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Are We Still a Great Country?

This week the United States of America will celebrate Independence Day on Wednesday, July 4th.  A time in our country’s history that commemorates the independence of our nation.  This year the USA celebrates 226 years of freedom.  Personally, it wasn’t that long ago that I can remember celebrating the 200th Anniversary during the summer of 1976.  But if you look back even further in our country’s history, when our nation celebrated during its 100th Anniversary, Daniel Roberts wrote a poem to honor our country and it soon was given a tune with the title “National Hymn”.  It’s better known today as “God of Our Fathers”.

The United States of America celebrated its 100th Anniversary in 1876.  Any monumental occasion deserves a memorable celebration and Roberts was determined to provide that memory.  But to truly see the fullness of this ‘hymn’, you need to read the lines, word by word.   Notice the scripture reference and Biblical emphasis that our country was founded on and still strove to uphold 100 years later.  (What about today?  Do we still maintain this diligence?  If you live in America today, you might take pause and remember when…)

“God of our fathers, whose almighty hand leads forth in beauty all the starry band of shining worlds in splendor thru the skies, our grateful songs before Thy throne arise.
Thy love divine hath led us in the past; in this free land by Thee our lot is cast; be Thou our ruler, guardian, guide and stay, Thy Word our law, Thy path our chosen way.
From war’s alarms, from deadly pestilence, (the Civil War was a recent memory) be Thy strong arm our ever sure defense; Thy true religion in our hearts increase, Thy bounteous goodness nourish us in peace.
Refresh Thy people on their toilsome way; lead us from night to never-ending day; fill all our lives with love and grace divine, and glory, laud and praise be thine.  AMEN”

Can we still have this devotion to God, calling on Him to be our “ruler, guardian, guide and stay”?  Why would we feel so self-reliant that we would believe our way is better than HIS path?  To be honest, we’re not much different than the Israelite nation as we read Judges 21:25.  “…everyone did what was right in his own eyes.”

Is there no standard of right and wrong?  Have we determined that morality is subject and best left to individual choice.  How do we know if there is a right or wrong…unless we follow a standard provided by one with absolute truth.  Our society and culture try to answer that too by saying, ‘there is no absolute truth’.  (Which by the very nature of the statement is an absolute!)

Our forefathers, with our new found independence, could have established any standard of governmental rule.  They could have ‘remade’ a system of government that mirrored the tyranny the fled (and bled) to escape.  They could have re-traced the steps of Roman rule (very powerful in the world during its day), but instead they sought a society that was governed by the people.  And if the people were to ‘rule’ the land, our founding fathers knew they would need a ‘guide’; an example to an new nation showing peace and providing ‘bounteous goodness’.  So you can see why it was important to hold up songs like this.

But what has happened to our country?  Did God abandon us like an unwanted puppy on the side of the road?  If you know anything about God and His nature, you know He would never abandon His children.  But as in life (and as some of you may have already experienced) the child can leave the teachings of the parent.  We, as a nation, have turned away from God’s Word, God’s Guidance and God’s Love.  How can we expect God to “Bless America” when America has denounced its God?  My objective, my aim, is to once again let His path be my chosen way.  To let His ‘true religion in my (our) heart increase’.  To seek His strong arm as my ‘ever sure defense’, and to constantly raise before His throne a ‘grateful song’.

If I can encourage my country men to do the same; if we will turn our hearts and minds back to God, then perhaps we can see fulfillment when God speaks to Solomon in 2 Chronicles 7:13, 14.  “…if I send pestilence among My people, and My people who call by My name HUMBLE THEMSELVES and PRAY and SEEK MY FACE and TURN FROM THEIR WICKED WAYS, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”  Can you be humble, pray, seek God, and turn from a life of sin?  When we do that we’ll be returning to the roots that made this country great!

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That ‘Sinking Feeling’…

“I was sinking deep in sin, far from the peaceful shore.
Very deeply stained within, sinking to rise no more.
But the Master of the sea heard my despairing cry,
From the water lifted me now safe am I.”

Have you ever been in a situation when you were really feeling troubled?  Some have even referred to it as a “sinking feeling”.  Troubles can come upon us and cause stress, discomfort and an overall sense of discouragement.  There have been times when we have referred to difficulties in our lives as a storm or tribulation.  So what do we do when the storms begin to rage?  If you live on the beach or near the ocean you know the precautions that must be taken when the forecast call for hurricane type winds.  But the basis for this hymn comes from the text when Peter tries to walk on water.  Notice the text from Matthew 14, beginning at verse 27; “But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, ‘Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.’ Peter said to Him, ‘Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.’  And He said, ‘Come!’  And Peter got out of the boat, and walked on the water and came toward Jesus.  But seeing the wind, he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, ‘Lord, save me!’  Immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and took hold of him, and said to him, ‘You of little faith, why did you doubt?’  When they got into the boat, the winds stopped.  And those who were in the boat worshiped Him, saying, ‘You are certainly God’s Son!’.” 

From this passage we read that Peter, actually walked on the water with Jesus.  But like many of us, he was distracted by the concerns around him and eventually lost his focus.  The ‘stormy winds’ (vs.25) were real and the waves were a strong reminder to Peter that he was away from the security of the boat.  Do you feel the same when faced with stressful situations?  God calls us to come to Him just as Jesus called Peter to join Him on the surface of the Sea of Galilee.  But we know there will be storms and stressful situations.  When we start to struggle (sink), remember the words from this old hymn written in 1912 by James Rowe.

“Love lifted me!  When nothing else could help, love lifted me.”  Find the encouragement from the 2nd and 3rd verses of this old hymn.  “All my heart to Him I give, ever to Him I’ll cling.  In His blessed presence live, ever His praises sing.  Love so mighty and so true merits (spiritual credit) my soul’s best songs; Faithful loving service, too, to Him belongs.  Souls in danger, look above, Jesus completely saves; He will lift you by His love out of the angry ways.  He’s the Master of the sea, billows His will obey; He your Savior wants to be, be saved today.”

We know the storms of life will come, though we don’t know when.  Forecasting a storm allows those in it’s path to prepare themselves and ‘batten down the hatches’, but how many of us today are preparing for the storms of life?  Some are walking with Christ, but are still struggling as the winds and the waves slap us in the face.  Losing our focus on God and turning to the storm, we’re sinking.  Christ is waiting for you to reach out to Him and cry with a sincere heart, “Lord, save me!”  Unfortunately today, too many refuse to acknowledge the hand of Christ as He reaches out to lift us.  Not only do we exemplify ‘little faith’, our stubborn hearts doom us as we slowly sink in sin.

Would that we realize our plight and understand the stain of our sin.  When we come to realize how much trouble we have without Christ, we’ll reach out and let Him bring us safely back into His care.  Or do we bother; are we really concerned about that ‘sinking feeling’?  The world tells us to just bear down, endure, and get over it.  But you and I know that we can’t go along in this life and without doubt, we’ll drown if someone doesn’t rescue us.  Jesus cares and He will deliver you because He loves you.  His dedication to you and your relationship with Him is more than you might understand.  But I know and I’m convenience of this…His Love Lifted Me!