Celebrating the Constitution

Proverbs 11 serves as a reminder that a collective departure from God's ways can effect a city - or any other entity, say, a nation:
10 When the righteous prosper, the city rejoices; when the wicked perish, there are shouts of joy. 11 Through the blessing of the upright a city is exalted, but by the mouth of the wicked it is destroyed.  And, this jewel from Proverbs 11:14 - 
14 For lack of guidance a nation falls, but many advisers make victory sure.

We are in a time where we are facing challenges that can only be solved by the wisdom of God.   And, I believe one of the root causes is our departure from the standards of the Scriptures - our great experiment in liberty, which has been sustained for well over 200 years, is being torn at the edges, but I really believe the core is still there - collectively, we still know what's right and realize our foundation, but so many have lost sight of it.   That is why we need to pray, and we need to speak - it's not too late to turn things around, but I do think that our shortcomings today are the result of a refusal by some to not acknowledge the ways of Almighty God.  And, that doesn't apply to just political leaders.   We need power today, power that can only be released as God's people pray.

Psalm 33:12 gives us this unwavering truth:
12 Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, the people he chose for his inheritance.  And, I think it's instructive to read the preceding verses, as we recognize that God deals in the ways of nations:
10 The LORD foils the plans of the nations; he thwarts the purposes of the peoples. 11 But the plans of the LORD stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart through all generations. 

Yesterday was the 225th Anniversary of the Constitution of the United States, and there were celebrations across the nation of this incredible document which emphasizes such principles as justice, freedom, and community.  

And, yes - faith.   There are those that would say that God is not present in the Constitution.   But, His principles are all over it...and there are references to "the year of our Lord" and the reference to Sunday being excluded from regulations governing the conducting of business.

And, there's this whole business of establishment of religion, found in the First Amendment - many stop there, saying that religion should not play a role in a civil government.   But, you must go on and address the phrase that says that Congress should not prohibit the free exercise thereof.  

The Founders recognized that faith was an essential component of a moral and civil society.  Greg Koukl writes in the Stand to Reason blog:

When you study the documents of the Revolutionary period, a precise picture comes into focus. Here it is:

• Virtually all those involved in the founding enterprise were God-fearing men in the Christian sense; most were Calvinistic Protestants.
• The Founders were deeply influenced by a biblical view of man and government. With a sober understanding of the fallenness of man, they devised a system of limited authority and checks and balances.
• The Founders understood that fear of God, moral leadership, and a righteous citizenry were necessary for their great experiment to succeed.
• Therefore, they structured a political climate that was encouraging to Christianity and accommodating to religion, rather than hostile to it.
• Protestant Christianity was the prevailing religious view for the first 150 years of our history.

However...

• The Fathers sought to set up a just society, not a Christian theocracy.
• They specifically prohibited the establishment of Christianity--or any other faith--as the religion of our nation.

I wrote in the September edition of River Region's Journey magazine these words, as I examined the phrase "Christian nation":

There is misunderstanding today about what it means to be a Christian nation.   There are those who would expect such a nation to look like a theocracy, where the priests or pastors are in charge and everyone is forced to practice one particular brand of religion.   That is not, and never has been, the America we know – those involved in the founding of our nation had a diverse religious background and were dedicated to religious freedom.   They were averse to establishing a state church.  But, it is very apparent that the principles of faith were built in to the precepts of freedom. 

I believe that America has been blessed and sustained because of our deep religious faith and an emphasis on moral character.  Many recognize that our nation is on a course away from the principles of God.  I sense a growing hostility toward people of faith, and a lack of knowledge, or forgetfulness, about the role of faith in our nation’s history. 

So, we rejoice in the assurance of the verse that tells us that "blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord."  Our Constitution is an amazing document, 225 years old, and our great experiment in liberty is being challenged - that's why we need to pray, diligently, for our nation.