If you watched the US Presidential debate on June 27th, you don’t need me to tell you what you saw. If you are a Democrat, the debate probably left you at least somewhat troubled. If you are a Republican, you probably feel that your guy won. Still, I don’t see Republicans dancing in the street. (Come to think of it, I’ve never seen Republicans dancing in the street.) You might expect exuberance from Republicans at so large a perceived victory. Instead, I see Americans of all political persuasions held in the grip of a deep sense of unease.
We have good reason for concern. As a nation, we are not embracing the self-discipline needed to maintain liberty. We are not repentant over our national sins. The nation tends to put its hope in men and technology — not in God.
We can better understand the disquiet by looking at another US national holiday. When George Washington proclaimed the first Thanksgiving Day in United States history, he said, “It is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favor.”
This was not a mere tip of the hat to the Almighty. This was a call for obedience to, and real communication with, our Heavenly Father. He added that we should “beseech Him to pardon our national and other transgressions.” Repentance.
Thanksgiving Day became a regular event starting with Abraham Lincoln during the Civil War. Lincoln called on all Americans to pause on that day, remember God’s goodness, and thank Him for His blessings. In his Thanksgiving proclamation, President Lincoln spoke of “fruitful fields and healthful skies… which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the Source from which they come.”
Lincoln listed some of the amazing ways God had blessed the United States even during that terrible war. He said those blessings were “of so extraordinary nature, that they cannot fail to penetrate and soften even the heart which is habitually insensible to the ever-watchful providence of Almighty God.”
He went on to say, “No human counsel hath devised, nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Highest God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy.” He also called on the people to go before God “with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience.”
Each of our two greatest presidents called the nation to repentance. How we need that today!
Maybe your side’s winning in the presidential race this year, or maybe — for the moment at least — it’s not. Either way, this is a time for humility and repentance. We are in trouble as a nation, and the answer is to turn to God our Father.
So, as we celebrate American liberty this year, remember God’s kind of liberty. Galatians 5:1 says, “Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.”
