Author: John Page 161 of 166

Hebrews 11:6 “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.”

There are a variety of possibilities that would explain the lack of fervent prayer by American Christians for our nation.  Each is unpalatable, and may suggest a vast divide between our prevailing faith and a pleasing faith.

The first possibility speaks volumes about our dismal level of care and concern for our country.  Maybe we have given up regularly praying for America because we do not believe that our nation is worth our prayers.  In this way, we have resigned ourselves to the future being worse than the present and far worse than the past.

The second and third possibilities speak volumes about our meager level of faith in Christ.  Maybe we have given up regularly praying for America because we do not believe that the Lord is powerful enough to change our land.  In this way, we demonstrate an acute lack of belief “that he is,” clinging instead to a lifeless deity.  Alternatively, maybe we have given up regularly praying for America because we do not believe that the Lord cares enough to consider our prayerful petitions.  In this way, we doubt that the Lord is a loving God, discounting Him as a “rewarder of them that diligently seek him.”

Any of the three possibilities by itself, or any combination thereof, would logically lead to the situation that we find ourselves in as a nation.  PLEASE PRAY FOR A NATIONAL-LEVEL FAITH THAT IS PLEASING TO GOD.  Without such faith, it is impossible to envision our nation returning to the Lord; without such faith, it is impossible to please God.

James 1:22 “But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.”

I have PLUSed in 11 states since feeling this call to ministry over four months ago.  I have taken specific time out of every workday during this period to pray for our nation.  The state total would be 12 if you count the time I was able to PLUS on board a B-52 over an additional state (don’t worry, I was not at the controls at the time).  Regardless of the total, I am especially sensitive to the call to prayer when I am traveling.  My hopeful prayer in each state is that the Christians in that state would be the ones whose faithfulness would spur a nationwide revival.

The Lord has ignited American revival in a variety of ways throughout our nation’s history.  It has been spread through pastors and itinerant preachers.  It has been promulgated by businessmen and slaves.  It has originated in rural New England and urban Manhattan.  It has thrived on the frontier and in the cities.  It has crossed the boundaries of states and nations.  It has transcended congregations and denominations.  There is no reason that God cannot do the same today.

Your faithfulness and the faithfulness of Christians in your state may be the next trigger for a nationwide revival.  PLEASE PRAY THAT GOD WOULD ALLOW YOU TO BE A PART OF A REVIVAL THAT SWEEPS THE NATION.  It would just take a spark of concentrated faithfulness to ignite such a fabulous blaze.

Philippians 4:9 “Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you.”

As American Christians, we have learned about Christ.  If we are truly Christians, then we have received Him.  If we are members of Bible preaching churches, then we have heard about Christ.  If we have God-honoring pastors, then we have seen Christ through others.  So what have we done to put the learning, and the receiving, and the hearing, and the seeing into action?  Sadly, we have done very little other than take up space in pews while we have passively played the role of an observer.

Since the beginning of the PLUS ministry, I have been particularly sensitive to our lack of action.  I have heard Christians complain about the sad condition of our nation.  I have heard Christians wish that someone else would take the lead to solve these monumental problems.  I have seen Christians resign themselves to living in a country that is rapidly diverging from a Christ-centered foundation.  I have watched Christians surrender to worldly influences.  I have noticed an unwillingness to follow those who do take the lead for Christ.  I have seen little action.

Fortunately, the God of peace stands ready to act alongside of the faithful.  Where are the faithful in America?  Hopefully, they are on their knees imploring God to act in this land; hopefully, they are on their knees begging God for strength to take the first step of faith; hopefully, they are encouraging others to pray in a similar fashion.  PLEASE PRAY THAT AMERICAN CHRISTIANS WOULD ACT BOLDLY FOR CHRIST.  Without the willingness to do anything about our nation’s problems, then we should not expect tomorrow to be any better than today.  Indeed, things will continue to get worse if we fail to do anything about it.

An old time quote states, “if you don’t stand for something, you’ll fall for anything.”  In many ways, America has fallen far as we have failed to stand strong on Constitutional principles that had been formed upon a sound Biblical foundation.

Indeed, the Constitution and the Bible are not mutually exclusive.  Biblical principles make up the fabric of our nation’s founding document.  The Founding Fathers saw the crafting of the Constitution itself as a Bible-based miracle.  Alexander Hamilton strongly stated, “for my own part, I sincerely esteem it a system which, without the finger of God, never could have been suggested and agreed upon by such a diversity of interests.”

Early American government encouraged and supported the importation and subsequent domestic printing of Bibles, recognizing the importance of God’s Word in building the lasting foundation of a thriving society.   Furthermore, early local government relied upon Bibles as an essential part of school curriculum.  George Washington remind us in his Farewell Address that: “Reason and experience both forbid us to expect that national morality can prevail in the exclusion of religious principle.  It is substantially true that virtue or morality is a necessary spring of popular government.”

It is not a coincidence that drifting from Biblical basics and straying from Constitutional constructs have occurred simultaneously.  As these foundations continue to crumble, so do our nation’s safety, security, and prosperity.  PLEASE PRAY THAT AMERICA WOULD RETURN TO THE CONSTITUTIONAL BASIS INTENDED BY OUR FOUNDING FATHERS. Otherwise, the nation will continue to fall.

Ephesians 4:14 “That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive.”

Without a firm foundation, one will naturally be tossed to and fro.  As Americans have abandoned the principles of sound doctrine from God’s Word, the nation has lost its steadiness and its direction.  Without an anchor to truth through grounded Christians, America has drifted aimlessly.  The result has been a nation that now lacks fundamental coherence in its core characteristics.

A crumbling foundation has created a nation with policy choices that act at cross-purposes with one another.  We rightfully try to solve an epidemic of sexual assault, while the government promotes limitless lifestyles.  We rightfully try to eliminate school shootings to prevent the loss of innocent life, while the government promotes individual ‘choice’ to slaughter society’s most vulnerable.  We rightfully uplift basic human freedoms around the world, while the government tramples on First Amendment freedoms at home.  We rightfully promote sound stewardship of personal resources, while the government recklessly squanders public resources.  With such natural contradictions, it is no surprise that progress on any front is rare, fleeting, and lacking direction.

Without a Biblical basis to inform our direction, we have lost our way.  PLEASE PRAY THAT AMERICA WOULD RETURN TO A BIBLE-BASED FOUNDATION.  Otherwise, we will continue to be tossed to and fro.