Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, 1 Timothy 2:1-3
This week Americans celebrate the 4th of July, also known as Independence Day. It marks the time in 1776 when the colonists declared their independence from the British Crown and King George. It was the first time in history when a government was said to be of, for, and by the citizens. It was a first for government to be “limited” to what a document gave them jurisdiction over—and nothing more! It was understood by the founders that for this experiment in freedom to succeed, the citizens have to be self-governed, and that based on the citizens’ understating their obligations to God who grants people unalienable rights.
That has changed. America has changed, and not for the better! Freedom, in the minds of many Americans, means the right to do anything, no matter how wrong, evil, and perverse. Stated another way, to many Americans, freedom means freedom from all restraint—especially from God!
Government cannot address, much less right, this systemic wrong. America’s only hope is not political, it is spiritual. It is not a candidate, it is a King: Jesus. It is not a cultural revolution, but a Christian revival. What we can and must do is PRAY. May God have mercy on us, and on this nation in spiritual decline!