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It is not that He ever really left, of course, but that the
people of this country have been trying to stuff Him into the
confines of our nation’s Churches for so long. For years,
Americans from across the political spectrum have been nothing
short of frantic in their endeavors to make Him invisible to the
general public.
But ever since last Tuesday, God is suddenly welcome again.
Our President, who is a believer in Jesus Christ, not only
declared last Friday a "National Day of Prayer and
Remembrance," but has asked American citizens to pause two
or three times a day to pray for our country.
Marquee signs in front of Cities’ Halls, McDonald’s’,
and even strip clubs across the country proclaim things like
"God Bless America," "God Save America," and
"Pray for America" right alongside their usual
messages of "Car Tax Due 10/5," "Happy Meal
$2.99," and "XXX! Girls! XXX!" Residents of
neighborhoods that used to be cold and detached urban enclaves
are now meeting at intersections every evening to wave flags,
sing patriotic hymns, hold hands, light candles, and yes --
pray.
Through all of this apparent revival, the ACLU has been
sufficiently quiet to make me wonder for a moment if we might
have lost them, too, in the horror of last Tuesday. Don’t get
me wrong -- God’s newfound popularity is encouraging to me. In
the aftermath of last Tuesday’s attacks, people are learning
what many of us knew all along -- God is a source of comfort and
strength to those who seek Him.
Many pundits of both the published and armchair variety
soundly derided comments made last week by television
evangelists Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell. Their statements
were, without a doubt, some of the most callous and ill-timed I
have heard come from the mouths of professing Christians.
However, their words would not have cut so deeply had they not
contained elements of truth.
Americans have a tendency to think of themselves as righteous
by default. We live in a country that has, on the whole, a
pretty decent populace. People are nice to each other here; that
is, we don’t usually throw bombs at each other’s children or
poison each other’s drinking water. We emblazon our currency
with "In God We Trust," and pledge allegiance to the
flag that represents "one nation under God." We stay
home from work on Christmas, and toss our extra change in cans
for the Salvation Army.
When we are nasty, it is in civilized ways: we write ranting
missives to the local news editor, stage toothless boycotts of
major corporations, and sue anyone who makes us uncomfortable or
angry. Sure, a few Americans might fly off the handle now and
then and murder their kids or shoot a bunch of classmates, but
they are the rare exceptions to the general rule that Americans
are Good People who have God on their side (assuming there is a
God).
The problem with this world view is that we aren’t
nice. We routinely sacrifice our unborn children on the altar of
convenience. We try to chase God out of the public view in the
name of tolerance. We convince ourselves that God doesn’t
exist, or if He does, He isn’t listening.
Then September 11th happens.
Suddenly, we’re on speaking terms with God again. No one
seems to be wondering if, after years of our pushing Him away,
He still wants to talk to us. We just assume He’s like a
lonely, abandoned lover, patiently waiting for us to come back
to Him.
Well, the joyous, indescribably amazing truth is that He is.
2 Chronicles 7:14 says, "[If] My people who are called by
My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn
from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will
forgive their sin, and will heal their land." If we want
America to have God on her side, then what we need to do is act
like it.
I don’t know if last Tuesday’s attack was a judgment of
God, or an act of Satan, or just a bunch of tragically misguided
maniacs perpetrating heinous evil. What I do know is that God
can use even the most evil of people and their demented acts for
His good. As the nation looks heavenward, expect heaven to
respond -- abundantly. From the miraculous few survivors at the
World Trade Center to the outpouring of help we are receiving
from even the unlikeliest of nations, God answers in a million
ways, each day, as long as we keep asking.
Please, America...don’t stop asking.
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