America, bless God!

"All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the Lord, and all the families of the nations shall bow down and worship before You. For the kingship and the kingdom are the Lord's, and He is the ruler over the nations." Psalm 22:27, 28 (Amplified Bible)

"God bless America!" "America, America, God shed his grace on thee!" We cry out to God when the going gets tough and the tires of our own ability, savings account, and the best medical team we can buy have gone flat. Then we pull good-ol'-God out of the trunk like a spare tire that we screw onto the wheel until we get to our destination. After he gets us to where we want or need to be, we throw him back in the trunk until we get desperate again.

Seems like I read somewhere that New York's churches were full the next Sunday after Sept. 11. I wonder if those churches are just as full today. I suspect a lot of those fish have hopped back out of the fishbowl. God, be merciful to us sinners!

I have a hunch that kind of behavior's not going over too big in heaven. As I read the history of God's interaction with his people in the Old Testament, I see that God blessed his people when they served and obeyed him; he cursed them when they didn't.

God doesn't change. He still blesses those who bless him and curses those who don't. He hasn't forgotten that he's God -- even if we have. The history-repeating fact is that when a nation votes God out, he leaves. He doesn't leave empty-handed, either. He packs up his provision and protection and takes them with him.

Christopher Columbus wrote in his journals, "It was the Lord who put into my mind -- I could feel his hand upon me -- the fact that I could sail from here to the Indies. All who heard of my project rejected it with laughter, ridiculing me. There's no question that the inspiration was from the Holy Spirit because he comforted me with rays of marvelous inspiration from the Holy Scriptures."

God brought Columbus, a Christian, to America. He also brought the pilgrims and other Christians who sought to build a godly nation where freedom, righteousness, and justice could dwell together. I think God still wants America to be a land where freedom, justice, righteousness, truth and a respect for God are cherished.

In 1 Timothy 2:1, 2, God says, "I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty."

Preach it, God; I'm voting with you! I encourage everyone to pray for America and to vote for godly Christian leaders with integrity. Vote for people who have the courage to stand up for biblical principles.

If you don't like the decisions some of our judges are making, remember that someone elected them or elected representatives appointed them. Who are you voting for? Will the people you vote for appoint judges and make decisions that will help America be a stronger, godlier nation?

We live in a time when America's Christian values and beliefs are being challenged. It's up to Christians to stand together against the sin and ungodliness that threaten to destroy America. If we keep God in our country, then there's no evil that can destroy us. Instead of crying, "God bless America," we need to proclaim daily, "America, bless God." When we vote to keep God in authority, God's ears will be open to our prayers -- all the time!

June Seabaugh is a member of Christ Church of the Heartland in Cape Girardeau.