In His Name Devotionals
GOD BLESS AMERICA
In His Name Devotionals
GOD BLESS AMERICA
What do we really mean when we invoke God’s blessing on our nation? Do we truly long for the spiritual awakening? Do we think the policy-makers and media moguls in our society would be as hostile to such a revival as they are to the threat of terrorism? Are people in America prepared to embrace God’s Son as Lord and Savior, or do they just want God’s favor on their own terms?
What are the means by which the people of God should seek to have God’s blessing on our nation? Can we help position modern society to receive God’s blessing merely by influencing public policy through politics and protest, or is something more needed to fulfill the conditions under which God will bless our nation? Can external moral reform alone make America fit for God’s blessing, or is something even deeper needed in the lives of most Americans?
To ask such questions is to answer them. Scripture is clear that a wholesale spiritual renewal, brought about through the clear and persuasive preaching of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, is the sole pathway to divine blessing. What is needed is not merely moral reform, but spiritual regeneration. And unless this occurs on a widespread scale that deeply impacts all of society, we will continue to forfeit the true blessings of God for our nation. Merely reciting the slogan “God Bless America” will do nothing for us, until it becomes a heartfelt prayer for spiritual renewal and regeneration through the Gospel.
The remedy to our nation’s moral and spiritual woes must begin at the house of God. The process starts with personal repentance. And if Christians truly want to see God’s blessing on our society, we ought to be models of genuine contrition and humility, rather than merely pointing fingers of blame at the evils of secular society. God Himself said to Israel, “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 will forgive their sin and heal their land” (2 Chronicles 7:14).
Christians concerned about the moral evils of society often opt for the wrong remedies, as if all that were needed to cure the spiritual malaise of our nation were some kind of federal legislation against abortion, sexual promiscuity, pornography and other forms of corruption.
Political remedies to our nation’s moral ills are no cure for the underlying spiritual problems. Of all people, Christians ought to know that, and the preponderance of our efforts ought to be focused on proclaiming the truth that can genuinely set people free.
Lives, not just laws, need to be transformed before America will be in a position to ask for and expect God’s blessing. The blessings of God cannot be acquired by any legislative process. Law cannot make people righteous. Scripture is clear on this. “If righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died in vain” (Galatians 2:21). No one is justified by works of law, but by faith in Jesus Christ (Galatians 2:16). And saving faith, obedient faith, is an individual matter; it cannot be imposed by legislative force.
In other words, society as a whole cannot be delivered from moral bankruptcy unless individual lives are redeemed and transformed by the power of Christ. If that conviction does not frame the priorities of the people of God and drive the activities of the church on earth, asking God to bless America is a waste of time.
God has revealed in the Bible there are several clear conditions under which a nation can expect God’s blessing. The challenge facing the people of God is to lead the way in pursuing God’s blessing for ourselves and for our nation.
