One Nation Under God

Week 42

What does the Bible say about the nation whose Lord is God? “Blessed is the nation whose God if the Lord, the people he chose for his inheritance.” Psalm 33:12

Our nation was founded on God and religious freedom and yet we are being told today that to include “one nation under God” in our pledge of allegiance is pushing our beliefs on those who may not believe in God.

 George Washington prayed this prayer 

“Direct my thoughts, words and work,

wash away my sins in the immaculate

Blood of the Lamb, and purge my heart

by Thy Holy Spirit... Daily frame me more

and more into the likeness of Thy Son 

Jesus Christ.”

How can a nation, who has been blessed by God for over 200 years now turn our backs on him? Why would we want to?

In Genesis we read that God told Abraham that he is going to bless him so that he can be a blessing to others. He tells him that because of his faith in God and his willingness to obey him he is going to make a mighty nation of him. God made good on his promises to Abraham. He still makes good on the same promise to nations today.

If we think back to the founding of the United States we see that the leaders included Godly principles in the constitution. The United States was a nation which wanted to be obedient to God. We have, over the years, accepted people from every nation in the world. People who were being persecuted or treated unfairly have been embraced here.We continue to embrace those people, but something new has been added to the mix.

When new people came to this country years ago, they brought with them foreign ideas and beliefs. Many of those cultures have been adapted and assimilated into our culture making it a beautiful mix. There are many things that have enriched us all. We are a nation that enjoys a variety of foods, a deeper understanding of other cultures and a sense of belonging to a nation that allows us freedom to worship God in many different ways.

There is an underlying problem taking place in our nation as a result of this freedom to worship. The one true God is not being worshiped by everyone. False gods are springing up more often and are in direct opposition to the God of the universe.

Some people would argue with me about this, but I am going to state my belief clearly and with holy boldness. The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is not the same god that the Muslims worship. They serve a false god. A god who is not a god of love and acceptance. Their god is not a merciful god or a gracious god. He is a god of hatred and a god of unbelievable anger. He wants nothing more than to kill all Christians, take their possessions and destroy this nation under God.

Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep. All who ever came before me were thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. He will come in and go out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life and have it to the full.” John 10:7-10

If those who have come to this country are not here to live and let live, if they are here to undermine the leadership, cause people to question our founding fathers and destroy the moral fiber of this nation, then they are not welcome here.

What did the Hebrew people do about false gods? We read about Elijah destroying the prophets of Baal in 1 Kings 18:18-40. The people of Israel were no longer trusting in God, they were believing in and worshiping other gods. Elijah, a prophet of God, told the people these words, “How long will you waver between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal is god, follow him.” The people said nothing. (1 Kings 18:21)

We are at a crossroad in the United States. If we listen closely we can hear the spirit of Elijah asking us the same question. Who are we going to choose to follow?

Choosing the right road is hard, it requires a definite commitment. It may not be the most popular thing to do. In Elijah’s case, there were more prophets of Baal, the false god, than there were of the one true God. But when we know that our God is the one true God, we also know that he is more powerful than any false god and is able to do mighty things for those who follow him. 

The false god was not able to answer his prophets when they called to him to light the fire for the sacrifice. But the one true God was able to not only burn up the sacrifice but also the wood, the stones and the soil. 

Elijah stepped out in faith and prayed, “O Lord, God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, let it be known today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant and have done all these things at your command. Answer me, O Lord, answer me, so these people will know that you, O Lord, are God, and that you are turning their hearts back again.” 1 Kings 18:36-37

As believers in the one true God and as citizens not only of the United States of America but also the Kingdom of God, we have the authority to ask the same thing on behalf of our nation. 

In 2 Corinthians 10:3-4 we hear these words, “For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with have divine power to demolish strongholds.”

By the authority given to us by Jesus Christ, the King of Kings and Lord of the Universe, we hearby order anything that is not of God out of this country. You are not welcome here, you have no place here and we will not tolerate false gods in our midst.

Father God, 

We do believe that you are the one true God, we know that our country was founded on your principles and we believe that they are as good today as they were 200 years ago. We are drawing a line in the sand today and asking you to once again become the God of our nation. We are choosing to serve you and will not tolerate anything that is not of you. We invite the spirit of Elijah to spread through our nation bringing down false idols and destroying false gods wherever they are. We welcome you as the leader of our nation and know that with you as our leader we are safe and secure. We give you praise and we bow before your throne. In the mighty name of Jesus. Amen.