“Every word of God is flawless; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.”
— Proverbs 30:5
Today is Independence Day in the United States of America. On this day, American Christians will want to give thanks to God for the blessings we enjoy as citizens of this country. At the same time, we have a lot of questions about our country. Today would be a good day to ask ourselves, “Why do we ask those questions?”
Sometimes we ask to express frustration, especially with regard to our government: “Why do we have that person as our president? Why can’t Congress get its act together? How can the Supreme Court arrive at some of the decisions it does?” Christians need to be careful lest we blame God or accuse God of wrongdoing as we ask our questions in frustration. Behind our questions about government is the real question we want answered: “God, why don’t you just fix this mess?”
God establishes government for our good. Sinful man and the devil turn it into something that does harm rather than good. The devil works hard to convince Americans to trust the benevolent government as god.
Sometimes we ask questions to express our fear: “How can we stop every terrorist attack? Can we expect to survive as a country if we always spend more than we can afford?” We love our country and want the best for it. Yet sometimes our questions about our country border on darkening the counsel of God. Perhaps it would be more honest simply to say, “Lord, I’m terribly afraid for my country!”
I can read the pages of Scripture but will never find a specific answer as to why our country has to face an economic downturn or suffer a natural disaster. Answers to those specific questions will have to wait.
Christian people have to have enough self-discipline to refrain from trying to answer questions we can’t answer from God’s Word. You can’t provide an answer to those who ask, “Why did 9/11 happen? Or Superstorm Sandy or Hurricane Katrina?” Whatever happens in our lives or in the existence of our country, we will always use those instances as opportunities to repent of our own sins and failures before God, without taking the next step of saying, “It happened because…” Only God knows the answers.
Until our wait is over, we take comfort in God’s Word and the assurance that the glorified Jesus rules over all things for the good of his church. Instead of questioning carelessly, we will always entrust care of our country and fellow citizens into the hands of a merciful God.
Prayer: God bless our native land. Amen.
Taken from Meditations Daily Devotional™, Vol. 58, No. 3, edited by Curtis A. Jahn. © 2015 Northwestern Publishing House. All rights reserved.
Photo by Circe Denyer is licensed under CC0 1.0.