There are an increasing number of Americans who mistakenly suppose that the blessings afforded our Nation are the result of judicious use of money, cleaver business dealings, human ingenuity, positive affirmation, with a enormous dose of luck. Nothing could be further from the truth! The Bible says…

"And the LORD shall make thee the head, and not the tail; and thou shalt be above only, and thou shalt not be beneath; if that thou hearken unto the commandments of the LORD thy God, which I command thee this day, to observe and to do them:" Deuteronomy 28:13

I am thankful to be an American! I am thankful for my freedom. God has blessed our Nation! I believe God has made our nation the head of the nations because, in the past we have acknowledge God and observed His principles and commandments. I would not want to be a citizen of any other country in the World!

Have you ever visited or lived in a "third world country?" I have both visited and lived in such countries. And, I must tell you it can be unsettling. When we lived in Haiti, it was not uncommon to be stopped by armed guards at a checkpoint when traveling from city to city. I will never forget the men to came to our home asking for gasoline, because their car had run out of gas. However, I knew that was not the case, because I saw exhaust coming out of the tail pipe of the car. I sent up a flare prayer asking God’s protection and then told them that our next-door neighbor, a General in that Hatian Army, might be able to help them, but I could not. As they turned to leave, one had a machete behind his back and the other one had a gun. Thank the Lord he protected us. Poverty, lack of good medical care, little or no communication capability, and difficulty getting daily staples were all a part of the challenges we faced, not to mention that human life was "cheap." And I might add, it took some getting used to, to be able to go to sleep with the Voodoo drums beating very clearly in the background.

I praise the Lord for the privilege of being born in America. But, how can we account for the unparalleled blessings this nation has experienced? I believe the answer is found in Psalms 33:12 "Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD…"

I believe our nation has been blessed because our nation has acknowledged the Lord God of Heaven openly! Let me illustrate.

Consider our National Anthem. It was the valiant defense of Fort McHenry by American forces during the British attack on September 13, 1814 that inspired 35-year old, poet-lawyer Francis Scott Key to write the poem which was to become our national anthem, "The Star-Spangled Banner." In 1931 the Congress of The United States of America enacted legislation that made "The Star-Spangled Banner" the official national anthem. Consider the last verse…

Oh! thus be it ever, when freemen shall stand
Between their loved homes and the war's desolation!
Blest with victory and peace, may the heaven-rescued land
Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation.
Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,
And this be our motto: "In God is our trust."
And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

You might be interested to note that In God We Trust first appeared on the 1864 2¢ coin. It continued to be added to more and more coins until it became mandatory in 1955. It was added to paper money in the 1950’s

There is a second example of our national acknowledgement of God --

When I was in first grade at Blanc Sims School in Lake Orion, Miss Smith began each class day by having us reciting The Pledge of Allegiance.

"I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic, for which it stands; one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."

Did you know that is was in June of 1954 that an amendment was made to the 1942 act of Congress establishing the Pledge of Allegiance in this Nation? President, Dwight David Eisenhower said this about adding "under God" to the pledge.

"In this way we are affirming the transcendence of religious faith in America’s heritage and future; in this way we shall constantly strengthen those spiritual weapons which forever will be our country’s most powerful resource in peace and war."

I am grateful that the Supreme Court recently struck down efforts to remove the phrase, "one nation, under God" from the Pledge, though I am sure there are other challenges to come. It is my prayer that they will NOT be successful, because acknowledging God and His Laws is the root of our freedom. Our founding Fathers recognized the profound truth that freedom comes from God. This is acknowledged in The Declaration of Independence…

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."

Thrice more in The Declaration God is referenced! It says in the first paragraph, "the Laws of Nature and Nature’s God." Then God is called "the Supreme Judge of the world." Finally, in the closing sentence it says, "And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor."

Our Rights/Freedoms Do Come From God

Life Comes From God

God is the author of physical life. Genesis 2:7 "And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul."

Psalms 127:3 "Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward."

God is the author of spiritual life.

John 10:10 "The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly."

Ephesians 2:4-5 "But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, 5 Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)" The word quickened means to make alive. Life, both physical and spiritual comes from Almighty God.

Liberty Is The Blessing of God

The Bible says, "Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty." 2 Corinthians 3:17

John 8:32 "And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."

The Bible says, "Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the LORD keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain." Psalms 127:1

If fact, liberty is the reward of those who obey God and keep his commandments, it is not the product of the ingenious minds of men. Benjamin Franklin realized this. On June 28, 1787 a debate was raging in the Constitutional Congress concerning how each state would be represented in the new government. On that day, 81 year old Franklin make the following motion –

Mr. President:

The small progress we have made after 4 or 5 weeks close attendance & continual reasonings with each other - our different sentiments on almost every question, several of the last producing as many noes as ayes, is methinks a melancholy proof of the imperfection of the Human Understanding…

In this situation of this Assembly, groping as it were in the dark to find political truth, and scarce able to distinguish it when presented to us, how has it happened, Sir, that we have not hitherto once thought of humbly applying to the Father of lights (James 1:17) to illuminate our understanding?

In the beginning of the Contest with G. Britain, when we were sensible of danger, we had daily prayer in this room for Divine protection. – Our prayers, Sir, were heard, & they were graciously answered. All of us who were engaged in the struggle must have observed frequent instances of Superintending Providence in our favor.

To that kind Providence we owe this happy opportunity of consulting in peace on the means of establishing our future national felicity. And have we now forgotten that powerful Friend? or do we imagine we no longer need His assistance?

I have lived, Sir, a long time, and the longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth - that God Governs in the affairs of men (see Daniel 4:17). And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without His notice (Matthew 10:29), is it probable that an empire can rise without His aid?

We have been assured, Sir, in the Sacred Writings, that "except the Lord build the House, they labor in vain that build it.(Psa 127:1)" I firmly believe this; and I also believe that without his concurring aid we shall succeed in this political building no better than the Builders of Babel: We shall be divided by our partial local interests; our projects will be confounded, and we ourselves shall become a reproach and bye word down to future ages (see Deut. 28:37)….

I therefore beg leave to move - that henceforth prayers imploring the assistance of Heaven, and its blessing on our deliberations, be held in this Assembly every morning before we proceed to business, and that one or more of the clergy of this city be requested to officiate in that service.

Liberty is the blessing of God and our founding fathers knew it! I dare say that is why George Washington took his oath of office, placing his hand upon Deuteronomy 28 (opened to that portion at his request). Deuteronomy 28:1, 13 & 15 says, "And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe and to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that the LORD thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth: 13 And the LORD shall make thee the head, and not the tail; and thou shalt be above only, and thou shalt not be beneath; if that thou hearken unto the commandments of the LORD thy God, which I command thee this day, to observe and to do them: 15 But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe to do all his commandments and his statutes which I command thee this day; that all these curses shall come upon thee, and overtake thee:"

Liberty is the blessing of God! Examine Yourself! Are you living your life in such a way that it would give God reason to continue to bless our Nation? Are you obeying His Word and keeping His Commandments?

I want God to continue to bless this nation don’t you? If you are a Christian, live your faith and let people see that Christ makes a difference. If you are not a Christian, I would urge you to repent of your sins and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.