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Psalm 20:7 “Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name of the LORD our God.”

On Memorial Day weekend, it is certainly fitting to give thanks for the men and women who have sacrificed so dearly on our behalf.  They have paid the ultimate price because they have selflessly valued our nation’s well-being more than their own well-being.  It is partly through their sacrifices, and the sacrifices of those who have preceded them, that our nation has remained secure.

Yet, we should never be lulled into thinking that these brave men and women are America’s ultimate source of security.  America is not great because of military strength or diplomatic sway.  It is not great because of economic sustainability or information asymmetry.  It is not great because of geographic separation or resource superiority.  It is only great as long as we remember that the Lord is our true source of greatness.

After several hundred hours in her cockpit, I can personally testify that the F-22 Raptor is an amazing machine.  It is a grand flying chariot propelled by unmatched horsepower.  Even with its dominant characteristics, our nation must not trust in it to secure us apart from the Lord.

Brave men and women are well worthy of a long weekend dedicated to memorializing them.  May we all do so.  Yet, our trust-laden attention should be on the Lord throughout the year.  PLEASE PRAY THAT WE WOULD FULLY TRUST IN THE LORD FOR OUR NATIONAL SECURITY, SAFETY AND PROSPERITY.  We must trust in the ultimate source who is ultimately trustworthy.

General Eisenhower: “In order to be a leader, a man must have followers.  And to have followers, a man must have their confidence.  Hence, the supreme quality for a leader is unquestionable integrity.”

America, in its rich past, has been blessed with leaders with unquestionable integrity.  These leaders have placed their responsibilities for service above their rights for self.  In doing so, they have followed the model of Jesus.

George Washington was a beloved leader, both as a General and as a President.  In both roles, he voluntarily gave up his positions for the long term good of the nation.  Sensing that his military mission was complete and fearing that retaining his commission would cause him to elevate to a position of a general-king, Washington resigned his commission.  Similarly after two terms as President, Washington stepped out of public life, again sensing that he had served his role and fearing that remaining in his position would set a dangerous precedent for the nation.  In both cases, Washington sacrificed his personal power for public progress.

General George Marshall served honorably and loyally as the Army Chief of Staff during World War II.  While he would have much preferred a field command instead, he recognized that he was badly needed and uniquely qualified for this less glamorous role.  Historians have suspected that had he asked President Roosevelt to be placed into the Supreme Allied Commander in Europe position, Roosevelt would have honored that request.  Instead, General Marshall sacrificially selected General Eisenhower for this position and masterfully supported him from the home front.

Marshall and Washington number among those American leaders who followed Christ-like leadership principles.  PLEASE PRAY THAT AMERICAN LEADERS WOULD ONCE AGAIN SACRIFICIALLY SERVE WITH UNQUESTIONABLE INTEGRITY.  There is no question that this is the type of leadership our nation needs.

Matthew 20:26-28 “But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister; And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant: Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom of many.”

I spent the last eight days on a family vacation completely unplugged from the world.  During this wonderful time, my reading list included a book on Army leaders since World War II, a book on servant leadership, and a book on the growing problem of sexual assault in the American armed forces.  Just prior to the vacation, I had finished a book on a father’s influence on his daughters.  Without planning it this way, there was an interesting common thread that tied these seemingly divergent topics tightly together.

American society faces a dearth of Christ-like leadership in all elements of society.  Our “leaders” seem more interested in self-promotion than self-sacrifice, more interested in indulgence than impact, more interested in ambition than altruism, more interested in prestige than progress, and more interested in leverage than legacy.  All the while, American institutions suffer because these “leaders” are not leading at all.  The government suffers; the military suffers; families suffer; schools suffer; communities suffer; churches suffer.  America suffers!  Such suffering is caused by individuals who masquerade as leaders when they are nothing of the sort.

American leaders need to return to the proven leadership model so wonderfully demonstrated by our Savior.  PLEASE PRAY THAT AMERICA WOULD EMBRACE CHRIST-LIKE LEADERSHIP IN EVERY ELEMENT OF SOCIETY.  We need leaders who are truly great among us.

Psalm 33:12 “Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD”

In 2013, who is the god of the United States?

Our god should not be wealth.  Our god should not be prosperity.  Our god should not be a misdirected praise of the immoral.  Our god should not be open-mindedness to everything but Biblical truth.  Our god should not be an appreciation of those who mock faithfulness.  Our god should not be power. Our god should not be religion.  Our god should not be electronic connectedness.  Our god should not be the media.  Our god should not be a political affiliation.  Our god should not be our daily planner.  Our god should not be popularity.  Our god should not be government.

Our gods should not be academics.  Our gods should not be purveyors of political correctness. Our gods should not be politicians. Our gods should not be promotion opportunities.  Our gods should not be our careers.  Our gods should not be legal ‘experts’ who errantly believe that the US Constitution provides for ‘freedom from religion.’

Instead, we need to return to the one and only true God.  PLEASE PRAY THAT AMERICA’S GOD WOULD ONCE AGAIN BE THE LORD.  If we are to be blessed as a nation, then we need to redirect our worship back to the proper deity.

The term ‘free rider’ has important applications in economics and social science.  It refers to someone who benefits from a resource without paying their fare share because others bear the burden.  In many ways, American Christians have become free riders.

The Lord has blessed America throughout our history well more than we deserve.  This disparity has become even more acute in recent days as the nation has invited cursings, not blessings, upon itself.  The nation has been free-riding on God’s grace, with a willful lack of appreciation for the Lord’s unmerited favor.

At the same time, those of us who have failed to regularly and fervently pray for our nation have been free-riding on the faithfulness of those more dedicated to proper Christian citizenship.  The prayers of faithful citizens may have delayed the judgment of a longsuffering God on a nation that has invited His wrath.  Their prayers may be all that separate America from a harsh and deserved fate.  At the same time, their prayers may also be staving off an even more severe devolution of our society than that which currently brings sorrow to the faithful.  Those who pray are paying the cost for the rest.

PLEASE PAY THE SMALL COST OF REGULAR AND FERVENT PRAYER FOR OUR NATION.  Free riders will always exist, but America Christians should not be numbered among them.