by Samuel E. Ward Introduction Many in our nation are in a state of denial when it comes to admitting to the role that faith in God has played in the founding of our nation. We should not be surprised as we have moved from a belief in moral absolutes and are now in the process of discarding moral relativism in favor of not even attempting to define morality on any but the most basic of levels. Some might say that we only need rules for the sake of maintaining order with as few restraints upon personal behavior as necessary. Perhaps we only need two rules: Don't take my life and don't take my things. Belief in a personal God that has established a set of absolute moral laws would be too constraining. In this post-modern American culture the number of those who believe that truth is by nature and definition absolute is shrinking. Whenever you hear anyone say "What is true for you may not be true for me," they are expressing a belief in relative truth. If you hear someone say, "Truth, who can know what is true. How can we know if what is observed here is the way it works everywhere in the universe?" This person has abandoned the concept of any universal truth because we haven't observed everywhere in the universe. There might be a place where what works here does not work there. This is why I sometimes suffer from "thinking" headaches. I might be able to agree that everyone has the right to determine their own truth if it weren't for one particularly huge detail. Someone Who claims to be the Creator and Designer of the Universe, indeed our own Maker, has spoken a truth that He says is absolute. These absolutes line up with His holy character. He is absolutely righteous and defines it for us in His revelation, the Bible. When life is lived according to His standard of righteousness there is justice, fairness, security, and community for all. When it isn't, there is injustice, inequity, corruption, fear, and disconnection among people. Everyone competes to get as much for themselves even if it mean that some might not get anything at all. America's founders, because of their understanding of community from a Judeo-Christian biblical viewpoint, sought to establish a nation of people that looked out for one another and provided equal opportunity for all—though regrettably and ashamedly this was late in coming for many. The temptation to yield to self-interests is increasing. Christian attorney Charles Crismier III shares his concern in an article he wrote. In her relatively short existence, America has impacted the world for good like no other nation in history. From a fledgling association of thirteen colonies struggling to get up and walk as a nation of one people to her position as the nation to which all eyes turn in the world, America has been blessed. One can scarcely indulge in even a brief review of her meteoric rise from the heroic bloodshed of her Revolutionary War to her position as leader among the powers of the earth without seeing the unmistakable hand of God upon her. But America is at risk. Her foundations are cracking. And it appears the hand of God's protection is being withdrawn. The principles that made us great have become tarnished, and our moral fiber is corroded. We have been in turmoil from incessant in-fighting. We have become a nation in which everyone is a minority striving for "special interests." There is no "common sense." Despite the horror of terrorism, our enemy most to be feared is not from without, but is within.. There is a vicious, moral, and spiritual war raging in the hearts and minds of Americans. Can we survive? Can America be saved? If so, how? I think we can find the answer to that question in Psalm 33. America can be saved, as any nation could, if He were "turned to" instead of "turned upon." Yes, America can be saved, but it will take divine intervention. How do we obtain such an intervention? We must once again, as a nation, respect Him for Who He is and what He does for us all. I. Let Us Once Again Praise Him, Psa 33:1-7. A. Let Us Praise Him for His Righteousness Toward Us, Psa 33:1-3. Psalms 33:1-3 (NIV) (1) Sing joyfully to the LORD, you righteous; it is fitting for the upright to praise him. (2) Praise the LORD with the harp; make music to him on the ten-stringed lyre. play skillfully, and shout for joy. B. Let Us Praise Him for the Faithfulness of His Word to Us, Psa 33:4. Psalms 33:4 (NIV) (4) For the word of the LORD is right and true; he is faithful in all he does. C. Let Us Praise Him for His Unfailing Love Toward Us, Psa 33:5. Psalms 33:5 (NIV) (5) The LORD loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of his unfailing love. D. Let Us Praise Him for His Power Over Us and All He Has Created, Psa 33:6-7.
their starry host by the breath of his mouth. (7) He gathers the waters of the sea into jars; he puts the deep into storehouses. II. Let Us Once Again Fear Him and Give Reverential Regard to His Sovereignty, A. He Is Creator of all the Peoples of the Earth, Psa 33:8-9.
let all the people of the world revere him. (9) For he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm. B. He Is Sovereign over the Nations of the Earth, Psa 33:10-11. 1. The plans of nations are in His hands, Psa 33:10. God declares His sovereignty by setting limits upon their plans.
he thwarts the purposes of the peoples. 2. The hands of the Lord work His plans, Psa 33:11. God declares His sovereignty by the march of history along the course He has set for it. And that means . . .
the purposes of his heart through all generations. III. Let Us Once Again Choose Him to Be the Master of Our Present and Future, A. So That We Might Obtain His Blessing, Psa 33:12.
the people he chose for his inheritance. B. So That We Might Enjoy His Oversight, Psa 33:13-15. 1. He sees all, Psa 33:13.
and sees all mankind; 2. He watches all, Psa 33:14.
all who live on earth— 3. He considers all, Psa 33:15.
who considers everything they do. C. So That We Might Receive His Protection, Psa 33:16-19 1. If a nation opposes the LORD, that nation is powerless, Psa 33:16-17.
no warrior escapes by his great strength. (17) A horse is a vain hope for deliverance; despite all its great strength it cannot save. 2. If a nation hopes in the LORD, that nation is delivered, Psa 33:18-19.
on those whose hope is in his unfailing love, (19) to deliver them from death and keep them alive in famine. IV. Let These Be Our Mottos in America, Not Stamped on Coins, But in Our Hearts, A. In God We Hope, Psa 33:20
he is our help and our shield. B. In God We Trust, Psa 33:21
for we trust in his holy name. C. In God We Rest, Psa 33:22
even as we put our hope in you. Conclusion In the article I referred to in the introduction by Charles Crimsier, he offered this account of how close America came to having a very different Constitution than it does now. It seems that from the very beginning there were those who were protecting the interests of their own special groups and constituencies, even at the expense of others. Crismier reports what happened at a crucial moment in the birthing of our national charter. As our Founding Fathers deliberated day after day in the seething heat of a Philadelphia summer to hammer out a constitution that would serve the emerging nation, they met with nerve-wracking frustration as delegates from the colonies sought to protect their "special interests." Tempers flared. Passions were inflamed. At this moment of despair and seeming hopelessness, Benjamin Franklin, the elder statesman, rose and addressed the president of the convention, George Washington, and declared: "Mr. President, In this situation of this Assembly, groping as it were in the dark to find political truth, and scarce able to distinguish it when presented to us, how has it happened, Sir, that we have not hitherto once thought of humbly applying to the Father of lights to illuminate our understanding! In the beginning of the contest with Great Britain, when we were sensible of danger, we had daily prayer in this room for the Divine protection. Our prayers, Sir, were heard, and they were graciously answered ... And have we forgotten this powerful Friend? Or do we imagine we no longer need His assistance? I have lived, Sir, a long time, and the longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth -- that God governs in the affairs of men." Benjamin Franklin then went on to declare to that awesome assembly of the greatest minds in America: "If a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without His notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without His aid?" Then he declared: "We have been assured, Sir, in the Sacred Writings, that except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it." The senior statesman then delivered his personal conviction concerning the future of the nation: "I firmly believe that without His concurring aid, we shall succeed in this political building no better than the builders of Babel. We shall be divided by our little partial local interests; our projects will be confounded; and we ourselves shall become a reproach and a bye word down to future ages ... I therefore beg leave to move -- that henceforth prayers imploring the assistance of Heaven, and its blessings on our deliberations, be held in this Assembly every morning before we proceed to business ...." The Assembly of 55 of America's greatest intellects and leaders solemnly and humbly adopted Benjamin Franklin's motion, and each session was thereafter begun with prayer for God's guidance and wisdom. The effect on the Convention was nothing short of miraculous. A sense of order and direction emerged resulting in the adoption of what leaders throughout the world have acknowledged as the greatest document ever crafted by the human mind. No constitution of any nation in the world has endured as has that seemingly Divinely-inspired document. In the words of James Madison, principal drafter of the Constitution and our fourth President, "Without the intervention of God there never would have been a Constitution." And my friend, without the intervention of God, we will be unable to Preserve Us A Nation. Will you pray for that intervention? The future of our nation is in your hands and mine. http://www.saveus.org/articles/can_america.htm CHARLES CRISMIER III |
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Sunday, July 6, 2008
Psalm 33: A Psalm for America
