God has never been on America's side

   As I've grown older (I am now 51 as I write this) my attitude of God and Country has changed.   When I was younger I grew up in the Cold War days in which many Christians felt that a war of good verses evil was taking place between Communist Russia and the USA.   We watched the Olympics as a competition between God and Satan taking place on a human arena.   It was all very black and white.

   Today the war between the US and Russia still flares up with Putin moving into the Ukraine and his support for the leader of Syria.   New threats have also emerged with the rise of ISIS and many other anti-Jewish and anti-Christian religious coalitions that threaten our freedoms and our lives around  the world.  Many feel the US should stand up to these threats and in doing so believe God is on our side in our decisions. 

   That is how I too used to think.

    But now I don't think God is on our side.  God is on God's side and he will do as he will to save as many as he can for eternity.   Take for example the story of Jonah , the reluctant prophet.  During his life, Israel was under attack of the Assyrians and they had taken away 10 of the 12 tribes of Israel as slaves, never to be heard from again.   Yet God wanted to save an Assyrian city by the name of Nineveh.   Jonah had other thoughts on the matter.   He ran away on a boat headed as far west as it could take him and it took a whale to bring him back.   Why?  Not because he didn't think it worth going.  No.  Because he knew God would save Nineveh and spare them the destruction.  Jonah wanted nothing to do with it.  God was on Israel's side, how could he do this?   Answer, because he loves them.   God had a plan and he was going to make it happen no matter what Jonah thought on the matter.

    We also, look at ISIS as they call for our destruction and rape, pillage and murder innocent Christians and other people they don't agree with.   We, like Jonah, want God to obliterate them and send them to hell for all the evil they have brought to this world.  But God calls us to love them and pray for them and return good for evil.   We must somehow try to seem them as people trapped by Satan and used as pawns.  We must look beyond the physical as Paul says, "We don't fight against flesh and blood, but against the powers and principalities in the heavenly realms".   God has a plan to ultimately destroy the evil in the world, but now he must see to it that as many people can be saved as possible. I am not saying we don't use our worldly military force to squash evil where it exists in this world and threatens our existence. No, we need to stand up to evil whenever and wherever we can.  But it cannot be our only response.  We must pray for the people in these countries that God's word and Gospel can reach them too.  

    I see God using this present evil to show the world that it cannot hide in ignorance of pretending that evil does not exist anymore.   It cannot pretend that somehow we created an inoculation against it and eradicated like Polio or Small Pox.   It's still here and you must decide which side you are on.   Hitler, Stalin, Mao, Osama Bin Laden,  Al Qaeda, ISIS, the list goes on of people and groups that God has allowed to rise up and show us that sin and evil persist and man is not impervious to their plans as you might think.    Evil is not a pre-1900 issue, but is a 2016 and beyond issue.   

    Next, we must stop thinking that somehow God's support of us can be bought by performing the right kinds of deeds or electing the right kind of leaders.   I cringe whenever I hear a Christian leader in the media make the plea to "Put God back into America", like as if he is a misplaced item on a shelf.   God uses who he wills for his purpose.   Did God use the Roman Empire?  Of course he did.  Even though the Jews prayed constantly for Rome to be removed from their country and restore the kingdom to David's line God had other better plans.

   One good thing I see of ISIS is it has caused the media to take a closer look at Islam and Christianity.   Recently I saw a piece that did a fair comparison contrast between the two religions and the differences could not be more stark.    Would this have ever happened without ISIS?  Probably not.  Most would go on their merry and ignorant path of "All religions are the same" but now they could not do that anymore.   Something was different and it needed to be looked at closer. Maybe those people doing their research into these differences will be brought to faith in Christ.   Maybe people on the religious fence will finally choose a side to be on.   Maybe those who would never had cracked a bible in the past will finally read some passages and see Jesus beyond the TV sitcom references.   Maybe those in Europe who thought religion issues were non-issues who now see their culture being transformed by the massive influx of people from the Middle East will need to return to their religious roots and take a stand against this slow invasion of their lands.

    Whatever the case may be, God's will is being done and his goal for us and all of humanity is being fulfilled.