When I think about the year changing over, especially at milestones such as this one, my thoughts often turn back to when I was a child and the incredible optimism our country used to have for the future. Nothing was more optimistic and challenging in those days as the space program, and I was a big fan of it. One of my earliest memories was my parents placing me in front of the television to watch the Apollo 11 astronauts walking on the moon. At that time, science-fiction was given a boost with TV show called “Star Trek,” which was an optimistic view of future space travel, and working in cooperation with aliens. Before that, in the 50’s there were movies and TV shows that promised flying cars by the year 2000, and a movie in the 60’s called “2001 a Space Odyssey” promised a space station that would produce artificial gravity by spinning, and frequent journeys to the moon. The problem is that it takes a lot of faith, focus, energy, money and drive to make all of these things possible. Unfortunately it’s 2010 now and many of those things haven’t happened the way we envisioned, and it doesn’t look like many of those things ever will happen. Even the concept of God is being abandoned. Has anybody ever thought to look back through the history of our country and compare the decline of America’s ‘can do’ attitude with its systematic abandonment of God? Does anybody else see that the two seem to coincide?
I would say that our optimism started to evaporate when theologians started abandoning God in colleges and seminaries, as scientists started abandoning God for their research, and politicians and judges started abandoning God in their laws and rulings. When faith disappears, then optimism disappears, and finally God’s judgment. Scripture is pretty clear that when a nation abandons God, God abandon’s the nation:
Judges 10 - “You have forsaken me and served other gods, therefore I will deliver you no more. Go and cry out to the gods which you have chosen, let them deliver you in the time of your distress.”
Proverbs 1:24-31 - “Because I called and you refused, I stretched out My hand and no one paid attention and you neglected all My counsel and did not want My reproof, I will even laugh at your calamity. I will mock when your dread comes, when your dread comes like a storm and your calamity comes on like a whirlwind, when distress and anguish come on you, then they will call on Me but I will not answer. They will seek Me diligently but they shall not find Me. Because they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the Lord. They would not accept My counsel, they spurned all My reproof. So they shall eat of the fruit of their own way and be satiated with their own devices.”
Now I’m not necessarily a fatalist – which is a person that thinks it can’t be stopped, nor am I necessarily an optimist, thinking that everything will be ‘all right.’ but I do know this – God is on the Throne, He does love those who love Him:
Proverbs 8:17 – “I love those who love me, and those who seek me find me.”
And He promises that those who love Him can never be snatched away from Him:
John 10:27-28 – “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand.”
So regardless of our nations circumstances, we can be assured that for those that love God, there is a bright optimistic future – it may not be with flying cars, but who cares if God is for us?
Grace and Peace to you from God and from God's Son, Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior, Amen.
