Mark Tabata’s Weekday Devotionals
Friday, September 11
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Psalm 144:11-15-Rescue me and deliver me from the hand of foreigners, Whose mouth speaks lying words, And whose right hand is a right hand of falsehood—. 12 That our sons may be as plants grown up in their youth; That our daughters may be as pillars, Sculptured in palace style; 13 That our barns may be full, Supplying all kinds of produce; That our sheep may bring forth thousands And ten thousands in our fields; 14 That our oxen may be well laden; That there be no breaking in or going out; That there be no outcry in our streets. 15 Happy are the people who are in such a state; Happy are the people whose God is the LORD!
I will never forget the events of September 11, 2001.
On that day, everything changed.
Not only for America, but for the entire world.
Looking back today, I am concerned about the changes that have taken place in our nation. It has all reminded me of these words of wisdom from Erwin Lutzer.
I marvel, as I’m sure you have, at the wisdom of Abraham Lincoln, America’s most admired president. He was asked whether God was on his side and he replied, “I do not care whether God is on my side; the important question is whether I am on God’s side, for God is always right.” Yes, that is the important question: Are we on God’s side? When approaching Jericho, Joshua saw a man with a sword in his hand, “Are you for us, or for our adversaries?” he asked. This heavenly soldier answered, “No; but I am the commander of the army of the Lord” (Joshua 5: 13–14). In effect God was saying, “I am not here to take sides; I am here to take over!” So, the best we can do is to find out how to make sure we are on God’s side. That will not guarantee that we will be spared as a nation but then again perhaps He will show us His favor. Our greatest gift to this country is to return to the biblical priorities of the church, and, more importantly, in so doing we will be pleasing to our heavenly Father. If God does sometimes stay His severe hand of judgment, how do we readjust our agenda as a church to reflect His priorities? And how do we shift from wanting our will to be done to wanting His will? How do we get on God’s side? Preparing our hearts for what God wants to do rather than convincing Him to help us in what we want to do should be at the top of our agenda. He owes us nothing; we owe Him everything. (Erwin W. Lutzer, Is God on America’s Side?: The Surprising Answer and How it Affects Our Future, 72-75 (Kindle Edition): Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers)
As Christians our first allegiance is to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, and to His kingdom (Matthew 6:33). As we see our nation drifting forget into the abyss of untruth, we are called to be messengers of the one true God, pointing to Him with our words and lives (Matthew 5:16).
What are some ways to judge if our nation is on God’s side?
Can you think of of anything that we can do to lead our neighbors to Him?
Lord, help our country, our leaders, and our soldiers. Amen.