Happy Birthday America!

by Dick Buckingham, Administrator

With July 4^th upon us, many of us are preparing to celebrate the 237^th birthday of arguably the greatest nation that has ever existed.  This nation has accomplished so much in its relatively short history and had such a positive impact upon its citizens and the world.  The birthday of America is not just another opportunity for Americans to hold barbecues and party.  It is truly with a measure of pride that we celebrate a great nation.

Yet can you imagine a time when there will not be a celebration on July 4^th?  Do you think it at all possible that there may come a day when this date will pass by without even a thought of a parade or feasting or fireworks?  No one likes to even think there may come a time when the great nation of America would no longer exist or be reduced to such as state that no one would take notice or celebrate.  To even talk in such terms is highly criticized and almost treasonous.

Yet a quick scan down the annals of history finds empire after empire, nation after nation, though once strong and mighty, now reduced to rubble and ashes, only the subject of history books and archaeologists.  History recounts for us many of their highlights and their low-lights, but one thing is consistent about all of them.  What they once were, they no longer are.  Could that be a fate in store for the greatest nation that ever existed?  Will the fact that it is America spare it from the destruction that has been visited upon nation after nation?

Though no one, including me, wants to say it, not only can it happen to America, but it will.

How can I say such a thing?  Because we can examine how this has taken place in other nations over and over in history and we can see that America is following the same fatal pattern.  Let me put it simply.  Historically, when a nation or empire turns away from the truth of God, when they no longer seek to embrace righteousness, when sinful behavior is not only allowed but celebrated, God rightly judges them and brings His righteous wrath upon them.  Consider the Babylonian, Greek and Roman empires.  Think about what happened even to the chosen people of God, Israel.   America will not receive some special pass from this consequence because it is America.

Though this nation had a solid beginning that included Biblical ideas, principles and philosophies woven through its fabric by the founders, it has year by year, decade by decade been unraveled so much that the tapestry may well be forever ruined.  One need only consider the direction our society has taken on issues of life in abortion, faithfulness in marriage, morals in homosexuality and truth in understanding of origins to see that we are committing some of the same sins that were the death-knell of communities such as Sodom.  It was pride and arrogance that brought down Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonians.  It was moral failure that doomed the Romans.  It was the unfaithfulness of Israel and Judah that changed their course forever.

What can we do?

Pray.  It is never too late to implore God on behalf of our nation.  Abraham pleaded with God on behalf of

Sodom and Gomorrah and God heard his prayer that if He found even 10 righteous in the cities, He would spare them.  Daniel prayed for the people of Israel during the time of the Babylonian captivity.  Please see below the text of Daniel 9.  I encourage you to take a moment and read the prayer that he prayed.  This is the prayer we need for America.

Remember.  We are taught in scripture that God is sovereign over all the affairs of men, including nations.  There is not a maverick molecule that acts contrary to His will and purpose.  Though we may not like or understand the course of things as God carries them out, we can be assured that  He is working all things out according to a plan that ultimately brings Him glory.

Take comfort.  Throughout all of history, whenever there was a nation that was destroyed, God has always preserved a remnant faithful to Himself.  Elijah was certain that he was the only one left who desired to serve and follow after God.  Yet God had preserved 7000 who had not bowed the knee to Baal (I Kings 19:14-18). There is already a faithful remnant in America that God has preserved.  May you and I be counted among them.

God bless America?  Yes, and may He have mercy upon us as well.

Daniel 9 - NIV

9 In the first year of Darius son of Xerxes^[a] (a Mede by descent), who was made ruler over the Babylonian^[b] kingdom— ² in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, understood from the Scriptures, according to the word of the Lord given to Jeremiah the prophet, that the desolation of Jerusalem would last seventy years. ³ So I turned to the Lord God and pleaded with him in prayer and petition, in fasting, and in sackcloth and ashes.

⁴ I prayed to the Lord my God and confessed:

“Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with those who love him and keep his commandments, ⁵ we have sinned and done wrong. We have been wicked and have rebelled; we have turned away from your commands and laws. ⁶ We have not listened to your servants the prophets, who spoke in your name to our kings, our princes and our ancestors, and to all the people of the land.

⁷ “Lord, you are righteous, but this day we are covered with shame—the people of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem and all Israel, both near and far, in all the countries where you have scattered us because of our unfaithfulness to you. ⁸ We and our kings, our princes and our ancestors are covered with shame, Lord, because we have sinned against you. ⁹ The Lord our God is merciful and forgiving, even though we have rebelled against him; ¹⁰ we have not obeyed the Lord our God or kept the laws he gave us through his servants the prophets. ¹¹ All Israel has transgressed your law and turned away, refusing to obey you.

“Therefore the curses and sworn judgments written in the Law of Moses, the servant of God, have been poured out on us, because we have sinned against you. ¹² You have fulfilled the words spoken against us and against our rulers by bringing on us great disaster. Under the whole heaven nothing has ever been done like what has been done to Jerusalem. ¹³ Just as it is written in the Law of Moses, all this disaster has come on us, yet we have not sought the favor of the Lord our God by turning from our sins and giving attention to your truth. ¹⁴ The Lord did not hesitate to bring the disaster on us, for the Lord our God is righteous in everything he does; yet we have not obeyed him.

¹⁵ “Now, Lord our God, who brought your people out of Egypt with a mighty hand and who made for yourself a name that endures to this day, we have sinned, we have done wrong. ¹⁶ Lord, in keeping with all your righteous acts, turn away your anger and your wrath from Jerusalem, your city, your holy hill. Our sins and the iniquities of our ancestors have made Jerusalem and your people an object of scorn to all those around us.


¹⁷ “Now, our God, hear the prayers and petitions of your servant. For your sake, Lord, look with favor on your desolate sanctuary. ¹⁸ Give ear, our God, and hear; open your eyes and see the desolation of the city that bears your Name. We do not make requests of you because we are righteous, but because of your great mercy. ¹⁹ Lord, listen! Lord, forgive! Lord, hear and act! For your sake, my God, do not delay, because your city and your people bear your Name.”

What was I supposed to remember again?

 “I've a grand memory for forgetting.”

-- Robert Louis Stevenson

For those of you avid followers of this blog, you may have noticed that a blog was not posted last week. Yes. It was my turn to write the blog and I totally forgot. While this wasn’t intentional and could probably be chalked up to “pregnancy brain”, it led me to the topic of today’s blog on FORGETFULNESS! Please tell me that I am not the only one to deal with this. Luckily I can say for certain that I am not. 

Just yesterday, I asked my husband to run to the store to grab 2 things. Just 2. By no means a lengthy list. And yet, when he returned home with several bags of groceries, I was met with the realization that he had only gotten 1 of the 2 things. I’m sure we could fill this comment board with similar situations. 

You must be able to relate. How many times have you gone into a room and totally forgotten why you went in there? Some of us even try to help ourselves out by making a list, but by the time we pick up the pen to write it down, the thought has completely escaped us. Or what’s worse, we actually write the note down on the paper and then can’t remember what our cryptic message even meant! People try to put strings around their fingers but forget what the strings are for.  They create pneumonic devices to help them remember lists. They write songs to help them memorize Scripture or other short passages. They play popular “memory-strengthening” games. And yet, we find ourselves remembering things from 20 years ago in specific detail, yet cannot find the keys that we just put down 5 minutes ago. How is this possible?!

According to Paul Reber, professor of psychology at Northwestern University, “The human brain consists of about one billion neurons. Each neuron forms about 1,000 connections to other neurons, amounting to more than a trillion connections. In comparison, if your brain worked like a digital video recorder in a television, 2.5 petabytes would be enough to hold three million hours of TV shows. You would have to leave the TV running continuously for more than 300 years to use up all that storage.”

Maybe it makes me feel a little better knowing that there is sometimes a lot of “footage” I have to sift through to find what I am looking for in my brain. Nonetheless, we know that forgetfulness is a part of life. Sometimes the consequences are minor, but sometimes you forget a deadline or a bill that was due, and the result sends some rather unpleasant shockwaves. Of even greater concern is when we get so involved in the hustle and bustle of life that we begin to forget that God is in control. What many forget most often is God’s presence and help in times of trouble or great need.

The Bible is full of stories that tell us how God remembers His people.  One such story that our school has connected with this year is the story of Samuel and the Israelites in 1 Samuel 7. After a miraculous victory in battle, “Samuel took a stone, placed it between Mizpah and Shen and named it Ebenezer. He said, "The LORD has helped us this far." I Samuel 7:12. When we start forgetting what the Lord has done for us, maybe an Ebenezer rock is more of what we need than a string around the finger.  

I can only imagine that my memory will get worse with age (or with the insanity that will surely come with having 4 children). But here is my ultimate comfort.  God always remembers the things that need to be remembered and always forgets the things that don’t!

Hebrews 8:12 gives us the following promise, “For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more." Praise the Lord! Knowing how prone we are to forget, God gave us His Word as a reminder of His great love and provision for us. Ultimately, His story of Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross is the ultimate reminder of this.

I may forget deadlines and dates, but may my words reflect those found in Psalm 77:11, “I will remember the deeds of the LORD; yes, I will remember your wonders of old.” 

Remind someone today what a faithful God we serve!