Psalm 99

Read this first: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm%2099&version=NIV

The Lord reigns,
    let the nations tremble;
he sits enthroned between the cherubim,
    let the earth shake.

So in the days of the Exodus and the Kings, the ark of the covenant was still in play. On top of the ark were 2 cherubim and in the middle was the divine seat where the presence of God was. The center of the nation was God. People try to say the same thing about America. That’s not true. I think it’s good to read yourself into the Bible. But the Bible also isn’t a story about you. It’s primarily a story about God and when we turn America into a synonym for Israel I think we miss some of the point. God never made a covenant with America. There’s reason to believe nations will be judged but I think it’s hard to say that America is a Christian nation when it’s based on people who were fleeing religious persecution and wanted a place where people were free to practice any religion. Not free to practice just one religion.

Anyway, that’s me being political. But how different would we feel if God instead of a president or congress were head of the country? If nations rose to oppose us- would we be more angry because how dare they or would we be more relaxed because God will defend us? I don’t know. I think I would feel somehow more judged both by God and by the world. What I do as a citizen is a reflection of God. I suppose I still feel that way as a church worker. I should know that what I do represents my church, my beliefs, and my God, but I got to say it’s easy to forget. Just this last week I drank more than I have in a long time and I shouldn’t have and I did it publically. It was a moment where I know I didn’t stand up for God nor my beliefs. It’s easy to forget who you represent.

I can see why Israel would forget their God too. That’s why Israel needed prophets, judges, and priests to call them back to God. We need that too. But here’s the amazing thing- here’s what they said even in the Old Testament:

Lord our God,
    you answered them;
you were to Israel a forgiving God,
    though you punished their misdeeds.

⁹ Exalt the Lord our God
    and worship at his holy mountain,
    for the Lord our God is holy.

You are a forgiving God. Praise Jesus! Yes we stumble, yes we walk away, as a nation right now I don’t see God at the center. I see division. I see unrest and uncertainty. I don’t see positivity. I see a country that’s going to be stuck for a long time. Yet God is at the center of everything including America. And God can be my center regardless of what my country looks like. I don’t have the knowledge or the insight to judge someone else, so perhaps I shouldn’t judge my country or my neighbor either. But God has given me the ability to know some of my own heart and He’s working on it. And He’s working on yours too. Be moved by Him. Dig into His word and know Him. Know His forgiveness and know He’s helping you grow!