Psalm 33:12 (ESV):
Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, the people whom he has chosen as his heritage!
While we know that God chose the nation of Israel for a specific purpose and because of His covenant with Abraham, it appears that ANY nation can become part of God’s will. I recently heard in a lecture by Brent Avery that the Talmud deals with the question of what to do with Gentiles who renounce idols and become God-fearers. The rabbis answered that dilemma by confirming these to have become part of Israel.
Maybe this thinking is what led Paul wrote in Romans 11:17-18 (ESV):
(17) But if some of the branches were broken off, and you, although a wild olive shoot, were grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing root of the olive tree, (18) do not be arrogant toward the branches. If you are, remember it is not you who support the root, but the root that supports you.
Romans 4:16-17 (ESV) reminds us that ALL believers, Jews or Gentiles are part of Abraham’s family.
(16) That is why it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his offspring—not only to the adherent of the law but also to the one who shares the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all, (17) as it is written, “I have made you the father of many nations”—in the presence of the God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist.
It appears that when people or nations choose the LORD, they become His chosen people or nations. They are then part of the fulfillment of the promise to Abraham (Genesis 12:1-4). The result of choosing the LORD as God is to be blessed. Obviously, rejecting the LORD will have the opposite results.
Though some would argue and disagree, if we look back in American history we see the hand of God at work. Through His providence He established America as a nation. I believe this was primarily because those coming to America had put faith in Him rather than tyrannical governments.
It appears that this is true when Columbus “sailed the ocean blue.” His journals stated that based on Matthew 24:14, he hoped to spread the gospel throughout the world so that Christ would establish His kingdom. He thought he was going to Asia and the East Indies but, of course, he wound up in the West Indies.
The Pilgrims had not come to America just for religious freedom as they actually had that in Holland. Rather, they stated in the Mayflower Compact that they had come to “advance Christian faith.” In other words, just like Columbus, they were seeking the conversion of the natives. They saw themselves as not only settlers in the New World but missionaries to the Indians.
By the time of the American Revolution a generation of people had grown up on the preaching of many ministers who discovered our unalienable rights from God. When King George III began his tyranny, the English colonists felt the unfair treatment and violations of these rights. First through attempted negotiation and then finally by taking up arms America won her independence and established a nation with a Constitution built on scripture. In fact, the Bible was essential to every aspect of America in those early days.
Bill Federer, in his American Minute article on Patrick Henry (Patrick_Henry.pdf) points out some of their emphases on God. Note the following:
On MARCH 23, 1775, Patrick Henry spoke to the Second Virginia Convention, which was meeting in Richmond’s St. John’s Church due to British hostilities. As the speech unfolded he spoke those famous lines:
“There is a just God who presides over the destines of nations … who will raise up friends to fight our battle for us. The battle, sir, is not to the strong alone; it is to the vigilant, the active, the brave … … Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!”
Witnesses say that after he spoke there was a stunned silence in the room. Then Virginia’s Provincial Congress passed a resolution for self-defense.
John Adams voted for independence, then wrote July 2, 1776: “I am apt to believe that day will be celebrated, by succeeding Generations, as the great anniversary Festival. It ought to be commemorated, as the Day of Deliverance by solemn Acts of Devotion to God Almighty.”
Again Federer points out the early emphasis on God (In_God_We_Trust.pdf):
During the War of 1812, Francis Scott Key wrote “The Star Spangled Banner.” Though many are familiar with the first verse, the FOURTH VERSE had an enduring effect:
“O thus be it ever when free men shall stand,
Between their loved home and the war’s desolation
Blest with victory and peace, may the Heaven-rescued land,
Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation!
Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just;
And this be our motto ‘IN GOD IS OUR TRUST’!
And the Star Spangled Banner in triumph shall wave,
Over the land of the free and the home of the brave!”
Between their loved home and the war’s desolation
Blest with victory and peace, may the Heaven-rescued land,
Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation!
Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just;
And this be our motto ‘IN GOD IS OUR TRUST’!
And the Star Spangled Banner in triumph shall wave,
Over the land of the free and the home of the brave!”
In the same article Federer introduces the origin of “In God We Trust” on our coins. He reveals:
Rev. M.R. Watkinson wrote to the Treasury Department, November 13, 1861, suggesting the recognition of “Almighty God in some form in our coins.”
Another proposal was to amend the Preamble of the U.S. Constitution to include the mention of “Almighty God” and “the Lord Jesus Christ.” This proposal was supported by: Senator Charles Sumner of Massachusetts, Senator B. Gratz Brown of Missouri, and Senator John Sherman of Ohio, along with Director of the U.S. Mint, James Pollock.
Their proposal was to amend the Preamble of the U.S. Constitution to have the new wording:
“We, the people of the United States, humbly acknowledging Almighty God as the source of all authority and power in civil government, the Lord Jesus Christ as the Ruler among the nations, His revealed will as the supreme law of the land, in order to constitute a Christian government, and in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the inalienable rights and the blessings of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness to ourselves and our posterity, and all the people, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.”
It is doubtful that all of the Founders were committed Christians. Some were and were active in their churches. Others were not, but they were committed to freedom. They all probably saw that when the Bible is followed we not only have freedom, but we can have the ability to self-govern. The Bible helps the individual to know his or her Creator and how He would have us live. With self-discipline the individual can govern himself with accountability to God. When a nation is composed of like-minded people the nation has self-discipline and the ability to self-govern with an eye on accountability to God. When we lose that ability and sense of accountability it is because we have forgotten that the LORD is our God and then we do “what is right in their own eyes” (Judges 21:25).
God-N-America is an effort to remind us that God made us a great nation. He worked in partnership with us to spread the gospel as well as establish us a free people before Him. The hand of Providence has been seen in our history. When we reconnect with our history and see His hand, there is an opportunity to reignite the same kind of fire those patriotic American patriots had.
I heard a preacher years ago make a poignant statement:
“If it is in the word, it should be in the world.”
He’s exactly right! The accounts of people in the Bible reveal that through their relationship with God He moved and did great things. In looking at the Founders, it seems that they had a similar attitude. They put their lives on the line by faith in God. Washington and his army overcame enormous odds and won our independence from England. Those men, who were there, attributed their victory and survival to the leading presence of God.
Consider this statement from George Washington to Nathanael Greene on February 6, 1783:
“If Historiographers should be hardy enough to fill the page of History with the advantages that have been gained with unequal numbers (on the part of America) in the course of this contest, & attempt to relate the distressing circumstances under which they have been obtained, it is more than probable that Posterity will bestow on their labors the epithet & marks of fiction for it will not be believed that such a force as Great Britain has employed for eight years in this Country could be baffled in their plan of Subjugating it by numbers infinitely less—composed of Men often times half starved—always in Rags—without pay—& experiencing, at times, every Species of distress which human nature is capable of undergoing.”
If you are a follower of God you know the thrill of answered prayer. You know the excitement of those times when you can clearly see God involved in the direction of your life. Those Founding Fathers of ours knew those emotions too. They experienced His hand in answered prayer.
I believe when we relive that history their faith in God’s Providence will impact us in a positive, faith-building way. That’s my purpose for starting God-N-America. I believe it is long overdue.
~His Story in Our History