Nothing seems inspiring me today. Mostly the news is talk of this or that candidate's chances in that race and what it may mean for the future. But I have long ago figured out that the only polls that matter are the polls on election day...or election season as it now plays out. As noted in Ecclesiastes, Vanity of vanities. All is vanity. It is depressing. But then, someone points out that we must continue because the war is not lost, man is not doomed, there is salvation in Christ our Savior, if we believe. Such a one today is J. B. Shurk at the American Thinker in an essay entitled A Moment in History Pregnant With Purpose.
Shurk starts by pointing out that the situation today reminds us of the Revolutionary War period. Looking back on it today, it may seem inevitable. But it was far from certain. He notes that the founding generation took nearly 50 years to bring about our Constitutional Republic, the longest lasting republic in history. I would point out too that many people sacrificed their fortunes and lives to bequeath this Republic to us. And it is a republic, not a democracy. So when you hear someone talking about "our democracy," they are spewing lies.
But then Shurk gets down to what it is that gives us the strength, the courage, and the faith to keep going, even to be happy warriors in the face of all the evil in the world.
Still, even during the chaos of the late eighteenth century, people got married, had families, formed communities, and persevered through trials and tribulations that most of us have never endured. The “American Experiment” might have been the finest jewel of the Enlightenment, but to have read Thomas Paine’s Common Sense in the local tavern, to have endured British occupation in Boston, or to have been on the receiving end of the first volleys at Lexington and Concord would have felt like the beginnings of a long journey with just as many tortuous uncertainties as inspired truths. If America’s success story was foreordained, it is because America’s Founders steadfastly believed in God’s gift of freedom.
...snip...
Do you believe in God? If so, then do not allow yourself to be mesmerized by despair. If the Devil showed up at your doorstep with a billion-demon army and demanded that you join, would you acquiesce to your conscription? Or, having been forced to confront the existence of Evil face to face, would you dust off the full armor of God and pray for strength, guidance, and grace? Often, it is when we are tested most harshly that we find courage that we never knew we had. Do you think that’s because God prefers ninth-inning comebacks, or perhaps because God knows that to get the best from each one of us, He must challenge the very fiber of our souls?
Do you question that God’s hand is sculpting the challenges we face today? If so, it is never too late to “awaken” to God’s truth and, through His truth, to find implacable strength. As one of the most popular Christian hymns ever written ebulliently declares: “Amazing grace! How sweet the sound / That saved a wretch like me! / I once was lost, but now am found; / Was blind, but now I see.” John Newton, an English slave-trader turned evangelical cleric and abolitionist, wrote that stanza, coincidentally enough, around the same time that Americans were declaring their independence from Great Britain. Throughout history, spiritual awakenings have consistently provided the timely foundations for every great struggle for human liberty. Ours is not at all different.
Enlightenments are messy. Social and political revolutions are fraught with unpleasant moments. Every quest for human emancipation is filled with heartaches, setbacks, and miseries. Yet it is what we do with the obstacles before us that changes the course of history. We are not expected to pick up the weight of history, heave it over our shoulders, and carry it to the place it belongs. We are nudgers. We push and pull at the current and help shape its path. You feel that impulse in your soul, don’t you? That’s because God is nudging each one of us, too.
Gentle readers should read the entire piece. We all need to be reminded from time to time that we have a purpose in God's plan. It may, in the scheme of things, be a small purpose, but it is important nonetheless. Also remember that God demands loyalty and trust. No hedging your bets by appealing to other gods. The Universalist philosophy is false. So, buck up, don't lose hope, but remember that it is not the various candidates, who come and go, the God of Abraham, of Issac, and Jacob with whom we should be concerned.
No comments:
Post a Comment