Hope of a Nation

Hope; almost sounds like a cliche doesn't it? 

Last week here at Belhaven we were graced with the presence of Dr. Billy Kim and his traveling Korean children's choir. Dr. Kim has been around the world teaching an evangelistic message to fallen world and following in the commendable footsteps of Rev Billy Graham. He brought us a very sobering but inspirational message about the current state of America and the role it should be playing in the world in contrast to the role it's playing now. It was pretty thought provoking and really started to stimulate my ideas about the degenerating state of our county.

 Kim's agenda is one of evangelism and hope and through the broken english and big smiles of the Korean children is was evident that he was trying to pass this on to the next generation. It didn't take long to realize what an impact the great land of the American media has on the rest of the world, as

 exemplified by the cheesy peace signs and barney style choreography in the choir. The choir had a sorry view of American culture but the US stands as a symbol of hope to them. Korea is plagued with division and political tension, and glorified America is their example of what life should really look like. At the end of the concert, when the children started waving the American flag, it became evident that they had hope in life because the red, white and blue was still flying and because God can be found in America.

What do we find inside our boarders? A failing economy, a rising death rate for a now purposeless cause, a church that's failing to fulfill it's role, and a president elect with a messianic reputation promising hope via socialism and taxes. This nation was founded on the principles of hard work, it's what makes America great. You can get far in life if you work hard for it. Yet we find the nation in a state of mediocrity, expecting the government to provide all of it's needs. We have a failing economy because of a war that can't be funded on top of a corrupt welfare system, and a poor healthcare system. Welfare and healthcare are a product of a lack in financial stability which can only be attributed to either laziness or lack of education on the subject. So then we point a finger at public education and want to improve it, so we add taxes for a bigger and better America. But because people are born wrapped in flesh we still aren't educated enough or the funds don't go where they're supposed to and we start the cycle all over again. Do you see this process of degeneration? It can be found all throughout history. If we let this saga continue our country will eat itself from the inside out! Have these Korean children been given a fallacious hope? 

"But Harrison, your putting God in a box. God is still sovereign and can work through anyone, even a radical socialist." Very true say I, God is sovereign over the affairs of men, and he can certainly work through anyone he wills. I'm not losing faith in the sovereignty of God, but losing faith in this nation's prayerful devotion to the God of sovereignty. The Bible states that a nation will be given the leader it deserves and if we deserve a government that doesn't promote hard work than so be it. "Ask and you shall receive." We've asked for a king and we've received a Saul. 

So where does the real dilemma lie? Is it the government's fault that we're in this predicament of ignorance? Can we blame this on good'ol "W" like we do everything else? I believe the root of the problem lies in the church's failure to fulfill it's role in society and the degeneration of the American family. The family should primarily be responsible for taking care of the elderly and infirm; those who can't provide of themselves. If they don't fulfill that duty for whatever reason, the responsibility falls into the hands of the church. Are either sphere of authority filling those shoes? Our big brother the government has taken that responsibility off of our hands. What about the morals that should be taught in our country? Is it the government's job to tell us what's right and wrong? If we're in Christ the law is written on our hearts, but shouldn't the church be teaching the people how they should live? A strong percent of the church is trying to accomplish this through condemnation and judgement instead of letting the grace of God work in and through his body. The world doesn't need to be repeatedly told that it's fallen but instead needs to taken by the hand and shown that there is hope. We see this avid longing for hope in the overwhelming majority that voted for the hope they think they can find in mortal man. So the answer to a finding a good and moral people is through bringing the gospel of grace. If we bring people to an understanding of the grace of God people will do well out of a desire to do so and that is this countries answer to education because people will desire to excel and learn. That in turn leads to personal financial stability, which leads to the elimination of the welfare system and maybe even a chunk of the healthcare system because families would rely on each other as they're intended to.

In all of this, the only reality and consistent figure is a gracious and loving God who exemplifies his sovereignty throughout history and still does to this very day. We share a hope with the Korean children's choir that cannot be taken away from us by a man or a nation, because we are grounded in the destiny of Jesus Christ.