I LOVE America. I am so grateful for all the countless men and women who have given sacrificially over the many years to help make the United States of American the greatest nation on earth. Our ultimate gratitude and praise, nonetheless, should always be directed toward the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the Creator of both heaven and earth, Who “made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their habitation” (Acts 17:26).
Furthermore, I realize that the axiom holds largely accurate that “a well-organized minority appears to be the majority.” Within this reality, we see through multiple venues a warped and ungodly morality played out each and every day reflecting perverse Hollywood ideology, liberal media, and the souls of lost humanity. However, in the end, I have absolute faith that the universe will follow the Lord’s ultimate plan and purpose for His glory.
With these truths being stated, let me continue to speak of God’s ways in dealing with various peoples and nations across the centuries, Old Testament Israel being “front and center.” The Scriptures tell us that in ancient times the Lord God spoke “to the fathers” (patriarchs, leaders) of His covenant people Israel through “the prophets in many portions and in many ways” (Hebrews 1:1). Among those inspired teachings come the words of the mighty prophet Isaiah as God directs His communication to an increasingly defiant Jewish people during one of their appointed festivals.
Listen to these prophetic words:
1 “Cry loudly, do not hold back; Raise your voice like a trumpet, And declare to My people their transgression And to the house of Jacob their sins.
2 “Yet they seek Me day by day and delight to know My ways, As a nation that has done righteousness And has not forsaken the ordinance of their God. They ask Me for just decisions, They delight in the nearness of God.
3 ‘Why have we fasted and You do not see? Why have we humbled ourselves and You do not notice?’ Behold, on the day of your fast you find your desire, And drive hard all your workers.
4 “Behold, you fast for contention and strife and to strike with a wicked fist. You do not fast like you do today to make your voice heard on high.
5 “Is it a fast like this which I choose, a day for a man to humble himself? Is it for bowing one’s head like a reed And for spreading out sackcloth and ashes as a bed? Will you call this a fast, even an acceptable day to the LORD?
6 “Is this not the fast which I choose, To loosen the bonds of wickedness, To undo the bands of the yoke, And to let the oppressed go free And break every yoke?
7 “Is it not to divide your bread with the hungry And bring the homeless poor into the house; When you see the naked, to cover him; And not to hide yourself from your own flesh?
8 “Then your light will break out like the dawn, And your recovery will speedily spring forth; And your righteousness will go before you; The glory of the LORD will be your rear guard.
9 “Then you will call, and the LORD will answer; You will cry, and He will say, ‘Here I am.’ If you remove the yoke from your midst, The pointing of the finger and speaking wickedness,
10 And if you give yourself to the hungry And satisfy the desire of the afflicted, Then your light will rise in darkness And your gloom will become like midday.
11 “And the LORD will continually guide you, And satisfy your desire in scorched places, And give strength to your bones; And you will be like a watered garden, And like a spring of water whose waters do not fail.
12 “Those from among you will rebuild the ancient ruins; You will raise up the age-old foundations; And you will be called the repairer of the breach, The restorer of the streets in which to dwell.
13 “If because of the sabbath, you turn your foot From doing your own pleasure on My holy day, And call the sabbath a delight, the holy day of the LORD honorable, And honor it, desisting from your own ways, From seeking your own pleasure And speaking your own word,
14 Then you will take delight in the LORD, And I will make you ride on the heights of the earth; And I will feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father, For the mouth of the LORD has spoken.” (Isaiah 58:1-14; NASB)
Along with prophetic words to His people, the Bible also gives meaningful examples of how God acted through natural disasters and phenomena (e.g., the Great Flood, rainbows, fire and brimstone, earthquakes) to judge, promise, and direct fallen humanity.
Now to my crucial point—should it trigger our thoughts and stir our souls when the National Christmas Tree of America in front of the White House in Washington, D.C. (yes, the geographical and psychological epicenter of American identity) is toppled over in late November 2023 due to high winds? Simply a freak, coincidental event . . . or rather the hand of our Almighty God seeking to speak to us through natural means exhibited on a highly visible national platform? Is God making a statement, as He did years ago to Israel through the prophet Isaiah, about the blatant hypocrisy of a professing Christian nation as demonstrated through our national thoughts, words, and lifestyles?
For Christians, the national Christmas tree stands as a celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ and the alleged obedience of a nation filled with believers whose coinage reads, “In God We Trust.” Yes, this tree event has indeed garnered my attention. Is God speaking once more to a nation who professes submission to His lordship and yet is immersed in abject wickedness not so different from sinful Israel and the surrounding pagan nations of its Old Testament days?
So, how should we respond? Prayerfully and reflectively for starters. There is an old story of a man walking along a storm-torn beach with his grandson. Thousands upon thousands of starfish have been washed upon the shore. The grandfather begins to reach down, picking up the starfish one-by-one as they walk along, and tossing them back into the ocean waters. The grandson, confused and bewildered, says, “Grandpa, there are so many starfish here; how can we possibly help them? Your hard work will not make any difference.” The grandfather turns to the boy, smiles, picks up another starfish, casts it back into the water and replies, “Well, it makes a difference to this one.”
Like storm-tossed sea life, the USA is in crisis as well. It seems overwhelming at times to consider how one can truly make a difference in all our national turmoil. Well, like the grandfather, pick up your starfish and toss it hard, remembering that “an elephant is eaten one bite at a time.”
Thinking–Dennis
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