- I couldn't imagine the imense fear of the being among the first settlers here in America.
- They could not have survived without the Hand of God.
- We Americans revolted, standing up for what we truly Believed. We would have faced certain death if we had failed.
- Our country was built on the foundation of belief in Christ alone, no other gods.
I topped off my weekend with a rainy day read of The Frontiersmen, by Allen Eckert, a historical narrative of early settlers in the Cumberland Valley, and some genealogy research, as my family was of the first settlers in that area, and I still don't know how they survived.
And as usual this type of thing leads me to think of the current state of demise that our country is in, and the reason we had to come home early is because I had another endorsement meeting for the Republican Party.
During my drive home, I began to think about the candidates I had met and which ones I should endorse, and how could I really know if they believed what they said they believed.
In Psalm 11:3, the Bible gives to us a most vital message for the times in which we live. In this Psalm, David says, "If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do?"
Then in Luke 6:47-49, the Lord Jesus Christ speaks of two men who set out to build two houses. The first man digs deep and lays his foundation upon a rock, but the second man carelessly builds his house upon the earth, without digging and laying a sure foundation. Then when the storm came, the first house stood strong, "for it was founded upon a rock." However, the second house immediately fell, "and the ruin of that house was great."
The forefathers of our nation were well aware of this profound truth. Unlike most of the current leaders of our country, the men who established our Bill of Rights were, for the most part, men who BELIEVED in something and STOOD FOR IT. These men lived in a time when people still had RESPECT for good moral standards and godly living. They weren't all Christians, but there was still a reverence for God and the Bible. This was a time when Americans had a FEAR OF GOD before their eyes, and sin was kept down to a minimum. This was a time when God the Holy Spirit could move about and find some men to get a job done. Friend, this was a time when some SOLID FOUNDATIONS could be laid for our nation.
So they were laid. One only has to read Benjamin Franklin's appeal to President Washington for a National Day of Prayer to realize the truth in the above statements. Franklin's appeal reads in part:"In the beginning of the contest with Britain, when we were sensible of danger, we had daily prayers in this room for Divine Protection. Our prayers, Sir, were heard -- and they were graciously answered. All of us who were engaged in the struggle must have observed frequent instances of a superintending Providence in our favor. . . . And have we now forgotten that powerful Friend? Or do we imagine we no longer need its 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. And if a sparrow can not fall to the ground without His notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without His aid?
We have also been assured, Sir, in the sacred writings, that 'except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it.' (Psalm 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. . ."
Our nation was built by men who knew that an empire without a solid foundation could not stand. Our nation was built by men who knew that we needed God's help if we were going to become a strong nation. In 1789, both Houses of Congress requested that President Washington recommend to the American people a day of public THANKSGIVING and PRAYER, and he did so. Washington himself, from the very start, knew that our young country must have the blessing of God for survival. After placing his hand on a Bible (not the Koran) and taking the oath of office on April 30,1789, President Washington made his views very clear concerning the source of authority:
"It would be peculiarly improper to omit, in this official act, my fervent supplication to that Almighty Being, Who rules over the universe, who presides in the council of nations, and whose providential aid can supply every human defect, that his benediction may consecrate to the liberties and happiness of the people of the United States. . . Every step by which they have advanced seems to have been distinguished by some providential agency. . . . we ought to be no less persuaded that the propitious smiles of Heaven can never be expected on a nation that disregards the eternal rules of order and right, which Heaven itself has ordained."
Good foundations were laid. Our liberties were built upon basic Bible principals, and it is for this very reason that we have become the great nation that we are today. However, if the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do?
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