Monday, June 27, 2005
Is God's blessing still with us?
Lately, my daily Scripture reading has had me in the prophet Jeremiah. As I've read the lengthy prophecies regarding God's judgment on Israel, I've kept noticing how God tells Israel that He has withdrawn His blessing on account of their disobedience to His Word. In turn, this has led my thoughts back to the earlier history of Israel when the Lord would grant Israel victory in battle if it was faithful to Him, but if they were unfaithful and disobedient, He often left them to lose on the battlefield.
In the present day, the US has been waging a war against terror in Iraq and Afganistan. Although we don't yet know the final outcome of this war, the news these days seems to suggest that the efforts of the US military have not be as successful as we'd once hoped they would be. Compared with the victories we enjoyed in the latter days of WWII, the present war seems like a long, slow go.
Putting these thoughts together, it's occurred to me that it's possible that one reason why the US military doesn't seem to be all that successful right now may have to do with the spiritual condition of America. To put it frankly, the US is a whole is far from a God-fearing nation. If anything, we seem to be doing whatever we can to run away from God and His holy Law as quickly as we possibly can. We are certainly not obedient to Him! If so, then why should we expect His blessings? Isn't it only fair that He allow us to suffer failure and defeat from time to time? As I think about it, given the magnitude of our nation's wickedness, the wonder is that He hasn't turned His back on us entirely. I pray that God will yet have mercy on the US and grant us a willing heart to turn to Christ and submit to His holy rule.
In the present day, the US has been waging a war against terror in Iraq and Afganistan. Although we don't yet know the final outcome of this war, the news these days seems to suggest that the efforts of the US military have not be as successful as we'd once hoped they would be. Compared with the victories we enjoyed in the latter days of WWII, the present war seems like a long, slow go.
Putting these thoughts together, it's occurred to me that it's possible that one reason why the US military doesn't seem to be all that successful right now may have to do with the spiritual condition of America. To put it frankly, the US is a whole is far from a God-fearing nation. If anything, we seem to be doing whatever we can to run away from God and His holy Law as quickly as we possibly can. We are certainly not obedient to Him! If so, then why should we expect His blessings? Isn't it only fair that He allow us to suffer failure and defeat from time to time? As I think about it, given the magnitude of our nation's wickedness, the wonder is that He hasn't turned His back on us entirely. I pray that God will yet have mercy on the US and grant us a willing heart to turn to Christ and submit to His holy rule.
