From the political arena to the courts (is there a difference anymore?), from our schools to our churches, from where we live to where we work. Stories of our faith and our beliefs being trampled, scorned, ridiculed, silenced and even outlawed.
In sports arenas around the country athlete performers are grabbing the cameras and the headlines by disrespecting our national anthem. Yes, they have that right, but that doesn't make it right. The enemy has already stolen the Pledge of Allegiance. Who wants to wager "In God We Trust" isn't next?
They've taken prayer and the Pledge from our schools, the Ten Commandments from courts, God out of marriage, and truth out of just about everything. We're losing, folks. Or so it seems.
I'd like to say it's all an illusion.
I'd like to say we're really winning, but I can't. I know we--meaning Christians--win in the end. Or rather, God wins and we Christians will be on His side. But on a more personal level for me, for my country, I'm not so sure.
There's something we have to keep in mind, something very, very important. We, the United States of America, are not God's chosen nation. There is no promise from Him to keep us or sustain us. There's no promise of our eradication, no curse of our existence, either. In fact, in case you missed it, there's no mention of us at all. No promise of a protected remnant, no future glorious revolution. Only silence.
That's humbling, and perhaps that's the point.
All things considered, it looks pretty bleak.
We are climbing deeper and deeper into a moral morass, or even moral anarchy. Our debt is uncontrollable, unsustainable. Our greed is insatiable, our pride unbelievable. Where once we seemed unstoppable, we now appear improbable. We once were feared, but now are mocked.
If any of this sounds familiar, you must know your history, or perhaps your Bible. For tales of the rise and fall of past powers found in both sound eerily similar to our own.
It is frightening, to say the least.
In all of this, though, there is hope.
Our ultimate hope is in the Lord Jesus Christ. If you have placed your trust in Him, then you have nothing to fear in how this all shakes out. We have eternal glory to look forward to, and as Paul said, our current struggles are not worth considering in light of our future glory.
There are also glimmers of hope in this world. The story of our country has gone from raging river to meandering stream, but all is not lost. Not yet. Even in the darkness, there are glimmers of hope.
High school football players laying orange roses at the feet of a cheerleader battling cancer. School districts standing up to asinine orders from on high. Politicians standing firmly against the rising tide of impertinent arrogance. Families praying together. Husbands honoring their oaths. Mothers loving their children. Men and women giving their lives for the sake of another, for the sake of their country.
In the darkness, there is light. We are called to be carriers of that light. Not to hide the truth within us, but to stand courageous and firm atop the hilltops and shine brilliantly for all to see. To not remove ourselves from the world, but to be salt within it. To never give up, but rather fight, to our very last breath if needed, for what is right.
Here and there, stories are emerging of brave soldiers of the faith doing just that. As did Paul. As did Peter. As did James, and John, and Stephen, and Jesus Christ Himself. Many would say they all lost. Many would say they failed. I would say they stayed the course. I would say they were victorious.
I would say, yes, America, there is hope.
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