Dr. Marc Drake, Senior Pastor, First Baptist Church of Sun Lakes

Psalm 33:12 declares, “Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people whom He has chosen for His own inheritance.” The primary thought of the biblical writer was, no doubt, in reference to Israel. Yet, the promise is broad enough to apply to any nation whose God is the God of Israel. We think of our own nation – a land that has surely experienced numberless blessings from the Lord. For over two and a quarter centuries as “one nation under God” America has modeled to the world religious freedom.

It’s quite significant that the above promise in Scripture follows one of the strongest statements of creation found in the Bible: “By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, and by the breath of His mouth all their host… For He spoke, and it was done; He commanded, and it stood fast.” (Psalm 33:6, 9). America’s long-standing recognition of the God of the Bible was founded on a belief in the literal creation record of Genesis. At the time, evolutionary speculations were spreading throughout Europe, but they did not begin to influence American thought until much later. Yet, today, our secular educational and judicial systems have, by and large, established evolutionary humanism as our unofficial state religion. The result is that religious freedoms are diminishing and Christians, in particular, are being targeted. What a far cry from the vision of our founding fathers!

The theory of evolution has been defined as believing that an explosion of nothing, instigated by no one, accidentally resulted in everything! As foolish as that sounds, there are many people today who have opted for a worldview that fits their comfort level. In other words, they choose to believe that life is meaningless rather than admit that there is a God to whom all are accountable. But, of course, it’s hard to feel good about yourself and your future if you think you are nothing more than a cosmic accident and not the result of intelligent design.

Our founding fathers had a different view. Consequently, we are a nation whose vision and laws are based on biblical truth rather than humanistic reasoning. But has the younger generation been taught this? Or do we have a forgotten heritage in America today? As we celebrate our independence, may we remember that God blesses any nation whose God is the true God of creation – the God of ancient Israel and the Father of the Lord Jesus Christ. But it is also true that He will curse any nation that turns away from Him: “The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God.” (Psalm 9:17).

Let us celebrate with joy and enthusiasm the founding of our nation. But may we always remember: “Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord.”