Deuteronomy 4: One Nation Under God

"For what great nation is there that has a god near to it as the Lord our God is to us whenever we call to Him?"

Deuteronomy 4:7

This is the kind of attitude that our founding fathers had about the United States of America.  The God-given freedoms that our nation was built upon made us the greatest nation in the world, in their eyes.  They believed that we were set apart among all nations, that we could overcome tyrannical dictatorship and replace it with a system of law inspired by the freedom God gives to His men and women in both the Old and New Testaments.

This concept of American Exceptionalism has dwindled over the past century, as more and more of our freedoms are taken from us.  We have allowed extreme circumstances to dictate our behavior, so that we allow our leaders to torture and murder innocent civilians around the world.  We sit idly by while our government indefinitely detains suspected "threats" without a trial, whether they are American citizens or not.  We allow our government to trick us into thinking these kinds of laws and wars are necessary for our safety, when in truth they are quite detrimental to our security.

The great nation of Israel was founded by the One True God, who knows all and sees all.  In that situation, tyrannical rule is acceptable because the dictator is the God who created the whole universe and loves all of His creation.  We can trust that He will lead His people justly.  In any other circumstance, tyranny is unacceptable.  Israel was made great because it bowed to the leadership of the Lord.  The United States of America was made great because it bowed to the authority which God had placed in each individual person over his/her own life, family, etc.

Question of the Day:

In this age of financial corruption, worldwide debt crises, waning individual freedoms, multiple undeclared wars, military occupation around the globe, and many other disasters, how can we hold on to the notion that our country is great?  If we have lost our greatness, how can we bring ourselves back to greatness?  Please feel free to comment below (you should be able to, even if you can't/don't log in).

Prayer of the Day:

Lord, guide our nation's leaders to continue on the path of greatness that we were on when our nation was founded.  Guide our citizens in the selection of our leaders and laws.  Help us stand firm for our beliefs in the freedoms which You have bestowed upon us.  Guide the morality of our nation so that we may once again be a nation which blesses You and is worthy to be blessed by You.  Amen.