What Must Change?

The current situation has structural problems that will remain in place until there is either a major shift toward a veto-proof majority for one party or the other in both houses or a president of the same party as the one having smaller majorities in both houses. There are probably almost as many views as there are people in this country on which of these two situations is the most desirable and which party should dominate under the desired scenario.

However, this nation is at a crossroads, and it would serve us well to make some more fundamental decisions before trying to move in a particular direction politically.  On the page Loss Of A Common Value System, I said that the root of many if not all of our problems is that we no longer have a common value system.

Getting back to a point at which we do have a common value system seems almost impossible in the light of the myriads of opinions that exist today on many, many issues [as evidenced by demonstrations, protests, and even mass shootings].  Many, perhaps most, Christians would say that getting us to that point will require, first and foremost, a president who is willing to brave the headwinds that he/she would encounter in publicly recognizing that many if not most of our problems have resulted from our turn away from God — and leading us to ask for His forgiveness according to 2 Chronicles 7:14*.

Personally, I fear that we may be past the point at which that can happen.  It is doubtful that anyone saying in advance that is what he/she feels we need to do could ever be elected president.  So, I’d like to think that a president operating with wisdom from God that he/she has sought in that kind of attitude toward God could, in fact, lead us in a direction that will set the stage for national support of his/her policies — policies which move us into better alignment with the Word of God. The Bible actually supports what I’m suggesting here — i.e., God often worked even through secular, non-believing rulers to accomplish His purposes [just one example: Jesus’ encounter with Pontius Pilate in Matthew 18:28-38].

Absent a turnaround of this kind, I am sorry to say that I believe we will continue to degenerate, and for the first time in our history, leave our children and grandchildren with a country that is in worse shape than it was in our time.  My daily prayer is that somehow, as seemingly impossible as such a turnaround seems to be, it will happen — “With God, all things are possible” [Matthew 19:26 NKJV].

* “If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land” [2 Chronicles 7:14].