One Nation Under God

Psalm 33:12 "Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord..."

As we observe America's 250th anniversary, hopefully we can objectively see national history interwoven with prosperity, wars, problems, blessings, societal upheaval, and at least three great Spiritual awakenings. 

There is the age-old question: Is America a Christian nation? 

Some might say "Absolutely!" and mention that several of our Founding Fathers were Christians -- or at least Deists. 

Some might answer "Absolutely not!" and offer reasons to support their belief.  

What is certain is that the formation of our nation includes at least some degree of belief in God, His existence, and His Providence.  It is also clear that the Founding Fathers realized that our rights do not come from the government; they come from Almighty God. 

Our Declaration of Independence mentions "the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God.”  It also refers to Him as our Creator in the second paragraph: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights...."

When a nation, or a society, or an individual rejects the truth of a Personal God, they logically reject the truth that our rights come from God.  If that were the case, then rights must come from either the government or the individual.  If rights come from the government, the government can take them away.  If rights come from the individual, then that individual decides right from wrong, leading to anarchy.  

Because our rights (as a nation) come from God, He is the One to whom we are ultimately responsible. If we as individuals recognized His authority, we would understand that our government is under the authority of God (as the Apostle Paul makes very clear in Romans chapter 13). At the same time, government leadership is accountable to the citizens they represent, but more importantly to Almighty God Himself.

Whether you would say that America is or is not a Christian nation, one thing is certain: we are one nation under God.  While the Psalmist was speaking of Israel here in the strictest sense, in the spiritual sense this verse can be applied to any country which honors God: Psalm 33:12 "Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord..."  Because of this, we as a nation should recognize His authority and our responsibility to Him. 

If we spent more time and effort being thankful for the freedoms that we have been blessed with, we might waste less time and effort demanding our rights and infringing on the rights of others.  

“If we can strengthen our economy, strengthen our security, and strengthen the values that bind us, then America will become a nation ever greater in art and learning, greater in the love and worship of the God who made us and who has blessed us as no other people on Earth have ever been blessed” (Ronald Reagan, 1984).