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The aim of this blog is to examine cultural events and trends and to interpret them
within the framework of the authoritative and literal interpretation of Scripture

Friday, January 8, 2021

OUR COUNTRY: STANDING IN THE NEED OF PRAYER

In the year 538 b.c. while in captivity in Babylon, Daniel prayed to God for forgiveness of the sins of his country Israel—specifically mentioning their iniquity, wickedness and rebellion towards the Lord. It would be fitting for all who claim Christ as their Savior to adapt a similar prayer for God’s intercession in our country today. Our country began with the noble Biblical intentions of the Founding Fathers who relied immensely upon Scripture in laying the formation of our Republic.1

But now Christianity seems to be a distant memory, not simply because of those who reject Christ, but because many Christians have turned away from the authority of Scripture. We have failed to become credible witnesses in order to impact our culture for the gospel. Instead, many denominations have developed a belief system based on the ideology of the secular-humanist, social justice and political correctness, with the aspiration of gaining public approval. This is an obvious strategy to please men, of which Paul condemned as not indicative of the servants of Christ:

For am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God? Or am I striving to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a bond-servant of Christ. (Galatians 1:10)

The situation which we find ourselves in the United States in 2021 is different than in Daniel’s day. Before their fall to Babylon in 586 b.c., Israel had been in a direct covenant relationship with God, ruled by a king who was to obey the statutes of the covenant, as were the religious leaders—high priest, priests and scribes.

“Now therefore, here is the king whom you have chosen, whom you have asked for, and behold, the Lord has set a king over you. If you will fear the Lord and serve Him, and listen to His voice and not rebel against the command of the Lord, then both you and also the king who reigns over you will follow the Lord your God. If you will not listen to the voice of the Lord, but rebel against the command of the Lord, then the hand of the Lord will be against you, as it was against your fathers.” (1 Samuel 12:13–15)

Samuel added this directive:

Samuel said to the people, “Do not fear. You have committed all this evil, yet do not turn aside from following the Lord, but serve the Lord with all your heart. You must not turn aside, for then you would go after futile things which can not profit or deliver, because they are futile.” (1 Samuel 12:20–21)

It is impossible to provide a Biblical parallel of our nation with that of Daniel’s. In spite of the auspicious beginning of our Republic by the Founding Fathers, our nation is not in a covenant relationship with God—it is not considered God’s chosen people as Israel has been proclaimed (Deuteronomy 7:6–8; Psalm 105:43; Romans 11:1-2).  

However, Christians today have a responsibility towards governments as delineated in Scripture. Paul states the every person is subject to the authorities and that they exist because they are established by God to maintain law and order (Romans 13:1-7; see also Titus 3:1; 1 Peter 2:13ff).

In contrast to the Christian’s responsibility, the rulers are supposed to be “servants of God” (Romans 13:6). When they cease to be servants of God, they by nature will rule with evil intent, namely, by means of oppression and tyranny.

Our nation has been methodically progressing towards this junction since the end of World War II. Our loss of personal freedom, liberty and privacy are under great assault by an over-reaching central government—one that is far removed from what our Founding Fathers envisioned. Dr. Francis Schaeffer explains its origins and how the World Council of Churches has been complicit in the rise of world-wide tyranny. Here is a relevant quote from his book The Great Evangelical Disaster (1984)2:

It is interesting to note that within the WCC agenda there is a whole catalog of issues on which the World Council has “come down on the wrong side,” and with which the evangelical world has increasingly accommodated. One that I would mention in particular is related to the proper need for Christians to stand against tyranny—from whatever side it might come, right or left. This includes the tyranny that exists in the Soviet bloc, and the extended tyranny that exists around the globe because of the natural expansionist philosophy of Marxism and the Soviet Union. And note that the Soviet system is totally based on the same view of final reality which under the name “humanism”3 is producing destruction of our own country and our own culture.

This of course also needs balance: I would say again that our country was never perfect—our country was never perfect, and now it is certainly less perfect. It has been years since I have prayed for justice on our country; I pray only for mercy. With all the light we have had and the results of the biblical influence, and then to have trampled on what we have had—we deserve God’s judgement. [Emphasis his]

Therefore, I encourage you to read Daniel’s prayer4 and in your own words substitute his locale (Israel, Judah, and Jerusalem) with your country (United States, England, etc.); his leaders (the king) with your president and congressional representatives, prime minister, etc.; his spiritual leaders (the priests and prophets) with your pastor/teachers. And pray for God’s mercy upon our country and for a spiritual revival within the hearts and minds of those who claim Christ as their Savior that we all adhere to “every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.”5



[1] Lutz, Donald S. “The Relative Influence of European Writers on Late Eighteenth-Century American Political Thought.” The American Political Science Review, vol. 78, no. 1, 1984, pp. 189–197. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/1961257. [Retrieved 8 January 2021].

 [2] Schaeffer, Francis (1985). The Complete Works of Francis A. Schaeffer. Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 4.390.

[3] The secular-humanists reality is “seen as only material or energy which has existed forever in some form, shaped into its present complex form only by pure chance” i.e. without God’s creative works. From an address delivered by the late Dr. Schaeffer in 1982 at the Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church, Fort Lauderdale, Florida. https://peopleforlife.org/francis.html

[4] Daniel 9:1-19

[5] Matthew 4:4

© 2024 David M. Rossi

4 comments:

  1. Even more apropos than when I saw the relevance to the United States as a Gentile Client Nation, nearly 4 years ago when you first penned this. From a highly emotional standpoint of sadness due to our snowballing decline, I join you to request prayer for our country, for and by its leaders and most of all from the kingdom of priests within it. May Jeshurun vessels of mercy confess their sins and turn to the Father of Lights, inviting His riches of glory to shine on them with unconditional benevolent compassion and unlimited divine support and blessings for the purpose of representing Jesus Christ in the fallen world, "in order that He might reveal the riches of His glory on vessels of mercy, which He previously prepared for the purpose of glory..." --Romans 9:23 and facsimile of "mercy" as found in Thieme Bible Doctrine Dictionary p.171, © 2022 by R. B. Thieme, Jr. All rights reserved.

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