The Foundation of Our Greatness

America is great. It is a nation sought after by others. Other nations do have financial prosperity, freedom, and provide a decent way of life, but dare I say not to the extent of our nation? I may be playing into the arrogance of our nation by that comment, but I do believe America is different and blessed - so far. Why?

Alexis de Tocqueville visited America at the height of the Second Great Awakening as revivals were sweeping across the country. Tocqueville repeatedly marveled at the number of different American churches, at their mutual toleration, and at the focus on morality in this country. A famous quote has been attributed to him, though not verified, but it squares with his overall view of religious life in America in 1831.

"Not until I went into the churches of America and heard her pulpits flame with righteousness did I understand the secret of her genius and power. America is great because she is good, and if America ever ceases to be good, she will cease to be great."

I think our nation owes its prosperity and blessing to God and God alone. Our founding father's were far from perfect. Sins abounded and personal lives were a mess, but all had a respect for God.

King David of the Bible has been nicknamed, "A man after God's own heart".

"After removing Saul, he made David their king. He testified concerning him: 'I have found David son of Jesse a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do.'"
Acts 13:22 New International Version

King David was far from perfect. His life included many of the sins found in some of our founding fathers' lives. Why then is he called a man after God's own heart? Because when all was said and done, he always turned back to the God who made him and anointed him king. David knew that all his wealth, talent, and tremendous abilities did not come from inside himself, but it was all placed there by God.

I see a picture of our nation in the kingdom of David. Our founding fathers knew that our nations wealth, talent, and tremendous abilities would not come from inside itself, but because it would be placed there by God.

I heard a speaker once and cannot for the life of me remember his name or book. What I do remember is his statement that the separation of church and state was instituted NOT to keep the church out of the state, but to keep the state out of the church. They knew that if we lost our foundation of God, we would lose our strength.

I fear for the future of our nation if we continue in our arrogance and dependence on ourselves to keep our nation great. What happened to David's great kingdom? It was destroyed and taken over because its people turned their backs on the one who made them great.

"In God We Trust" is foundational to our success as a nation. I believe our nation is testing this statement and it is in crisis. I hope that many discover before it is too late that YES, the mighty can fall.