America and God - Gloom or 'Not to Worry'?

Before and during recent July 4 Independence Day celebrations, I heard many people express concerns about what lies ahead for America.

Elaine Huttenstine of Greer, S.C., wrote the following prayer and e-mailed it to me on July 2, 2010:

“Dear Heavenly Father, We come to You in the precious name of Jesus, thanking You and praising You for America and all the blessings You have poured out on us as a nation. We thank You for our forefathers who looked to You for guidance; who established this nation on principles found in Your Holy Word. Forgive us for straying so far away from You. We have become prideful, acting as if we have made this country great. We have forgotten that we are nothing without You. We deserve punishment, but we beg for Your mercy. Please hear our prayer, forgive our sins, and heal our land. In the name of our Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ. Amen.”

Tempe Brown, a Christian speaker-writer who lives in Greenville, S.C., recently posted this message on “Facebook”:

“Even though many in our nation have turned their backs on God, this nation is still under His grace. We have been Jesus to the world. We have fed the hungry; we’ve drilled wells for clean water, sent doctors to heal the sick, sent the gospel around the world and shed our blood so that others can be free. We’ve loved our enemies and have tried to bring peace wherever we’ve gone. I’m weary of hearing that this nation is doomed. We have sown enough blood, gospel and God’s love to reap a harvest greater than that! I’m proud to be an American and pray that those in office will not bring her down.”

Dr. Charles Stanley of “in Touch Ministries” says the U.S. now provides 85 percent of the financial support for Christian missionary work done throughout the world. Yet, we sense a “slip-sliding away” going on in U.S. culture, and we pray for Christian revival.

Dr. Stanley posted this article titled “A Nation Gone Astray – Isaiah 59” on July 5, 2010:

“The principle of sowing and reaping applies not only to individuals but also to nations. A country that ignores or rejects God and His Word will suffer the consequences…Though Israel had once honored the Lord, it went astray during the days of the prophet Isaiah and suffered the dire results….

“When a nation begins ignoring biblical commands and principles, truth becomes relative as false philosophies and “liberated thinking” take root. Leaders tend to consider themselves advanced and intellectual, but in reality, if they are separated from God, their thinking is foolish and their understanding darkened (Eph. 4:17-18).

“A society always behaves according to its belief system, so the inevitable result of skewed thinking is sin. Once sin becomes acceptable in the eyes of the people, sensuality and self-gratification dominate as restraint is lifted. The baser nature of man emerges in the form of immorality, greed, and violence. Injustice reaches its peak when laws permit the killing of the most helpless and innocent of all its citizens – unborn children. Even if the majority of citizens disapprove of the injustice and immorality, unless they act, that nation will continue its downward spiral into depravity.

“Our ultimate hope, of course, is in our coming King who will reign on earth with righteousness and justice. But the church must still awaken to its responsibility to be salt and light in a depraved world. Each generation is called to be alert and active during its appointed time on this earth.”

The Rev. Randy Thornton recently provided these age-group statistics for Bible-believers in the U.S.: Of “Builders” (people born between 1927 and 1945), 65 percent identify as Bible-believing Christians. Of “Boomers” (born 1946-1964), 35 percent identify as believers. Of “Busters” (born 1965-1983), 16 percent identify. Of “Bridgers” (born 1984-present), only four percent identify as Bible-believing Christians.

“If current trends hold true, only four percent of the millennial generation will be evangelical,” Thornton said. “Eighty-five percent of people who come to Christ make that decision before the age of 20...I believe there is something going to happen that will open the door of the Gospel in an unprecedented way…God has called us to our cities and our communities.”

“Then said I unto them, ‘Ye see the distress that we are in, how Jerusalem lieth waste, and the gates thereof are burned with fire: come, and let us build up the wall of Jerusalem, that we be no more a reproach’” (Nehemiah 2:17).