The Union of Our Union
It was nice to see a room full of American leaders all gathered together respecting the office of the presidency and the importance of governmental participation at last Thursday night's State of the Union address.
It was nice to see the moments when American leaders from both sides of the aisle could stand together in support, including singing "Happy Birthday" to a Holocaust survivor named Judah. (Judah and his family, after 10 years of being in a prison camp, were being transferred to another prison camp when the bus and everyone on it were rescued by US soldiers.)
It was nice to see the collective agreement in honoring the D-Day soldiers, including Joshua, who stormed the beaches on D-Day, and one year later was a part of the team that liberated the beyond-desperate prisoners of Dachau concentration camp.
On the other hand...
It was shocking and disturbing to see the stark division over President Trump's comments on late-term abortion. (The good news is that, for the last 22 years, the number of abortions in America have gone down every year. The bad news is that there are still pregnancies being terminated for selfish, illegitimate reasons.)
It was sad to be reminded of how stuck and far apart we Americans are on issues of great importance in our world today.
It was also sad to feel the need to listen with a skeptical mind about the truth of what was being said.
I really love America. I am so very grateful to be able to live here and raise my family here. I consider it a great privilege and I would fight for the peace and liberties we enjoy to be preserved for those who come after us, just as many have fought to make it possible for me to live with peace and liberty today.
The problem that I see is that, in order to win any fight worth fighting, we need the Spirit of God. “Not by might, not by power, but by my Spirit, said the Lord to a man named Zerubbabel, who was trying to build something in the desert long ago. The Spirit of the Living God has the perfect perspective to let us know what fights are worth fighting, how we are to fight, and what will bring about the right outcomes.
I don’t know if God wants to “Make America Great Again,” but I do know he wants everyone in America to know Him and walk in His ways. And the only way we can know God is by the Spirit of God. (Check out 1 Corinthians 2 for more on this.)
Today, be still and listen for what the Spirit of God might say to you regarding the challenging issues you are facing. And please pray that our leaders will do the same.