Faith Through the Journey

A Country Worth Saving

Over the past few years, I have been very privileged to be able to go to Washington, D.C. with my husband. He works in the banking industry, and our Texas bankers have been able to speak to our legislators on Capitol Hill.  Just being in our nation’s capital has truly been a joy, and being able to view the great monuments that symbolize the moments in our nation’s history worth remembering makes me tremendously proud. Being able to see my husband’s uncle’s name at the World War II monument, seeing the Korean War memorial, the war in which my dad fought, reading the words of Thomas Jefferson and viewing the Iwo Jima Memorial brought home to me in a new way that this country is one founded upon greatness. It is a country work fighting for! My heart is breaking over how quickly and easily we can forget the greatness that is America!

“And I’m proud to be an American, where at least I know I’m free, and I won’t forget the men who died, who gave that life to me! And I’ll gladly stand up next to you, and defend her still today! ‘Cause there ain’t no doubt I love ths land. God Bless the USA!!”

What is Truly Important

To say that this is a time of great importance for America is a vast understatement. In seven weeks, Americans will choose their leaders and help determine the path we will take for the next few years. According to the historical time line of other great civilizations, America may very well be running out of time before we completely implode. According to Carl Zimmerman, a historian who studied the decline of the Greek and Roman civilizations, there are eleven symptoms of observable final decay before ultimate capitulation: 1) No fault divorce; 2) birth dearth – increased disrespect for parenthood and parents; 3) meaningless marriage rites/ceremonies; 4) defamation of past national heroes; 5) acceptance of alternative marriage forms; 6) widespread attitudes of feminism, narcissism, hedonism; 7) propagation of antifamily sentiment; 8) acceptance of most forms of adultery; 9) rebellious children; 10) increased juvenile delinquency; and 11) common acceptance of all forms of sexual perversion. Our country is very far down the road with respect to all of these. How tragic that we as humans move so quickly and easily to lives of compromise and the lowest forms of human behavior! But without God’s Word as our guiding compass, we have only our own individual ideas of right and wrong.

Because of the path we as America are currently on, it is of absolutely critical importance that we choose men and women who will not be guided by their own human instincts and no absolute values of right and wrong. Exodus 18:21 says: “Moreover, you shall choose able men from all the people, God-fearing men (and women) of truth who hate unjust gain…to be their rulers.” Psalm 15:2 says: “He who walks and lives uprightly and blamelessly, who works rightness and justice and speaks and thinks the truth in his heart…he who does these things shall never be moved.” We need leaders who will do what is right according to the Word of God, not according to polling data, pop culture, or whatever way the wind of popular opinion blows. Every believer who enters the voting booth needs to hold up the standard of God’s Word as their primary voter’s guide. It is our responsibility to learn about every candidate on the ballot, and whether or not they are men and women of integrity, good character, and who are not afraid to stand for principles even when they may not be popular. To do anything less is to shirk the responsibility and privilege we have as Americans to choose our leaders. Psalm 33:12 says: “Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord.” If we want to ask for God’s blessing on our nation and on our lives, we must make Him the Lord of our lives and of our nation once again. THAT is what is truly important in the coming weeks for America!

The Apple of God’s Eye

For as long as I can remember, my parents taught me to respect the Jewish people and the nation of Israel. Interestingly enough, they both went to a high school in Denver where the Protestant population was outnumbered by Catholics and Jews. They had relationships with and knew many students of both groups. They taught us that the Jews were, and still remain, God’s chosen people. My opinion has never changed because I’ve studied God’s Word enough to know that God has never forsaken His chosen people. Jesus was Jewish, and He came to His own people as their promised Messiah. God chose Abraham long ago, entered into a covenant relationship with him and his descendants that has never been changed. When God made this covenant, it was an eternal and unconditional one. God initiated the covenant, God made the terms of the covenant unconditional, and therefore it is still in effect today.

When Jesus came to be the final sacrifice for sin, He was the fulfillment of the covenant. But because His own people rejected Him as their Messiah, He was willing to bring in anyone who would accept His sacrifice as the final payment for their sins. Still, God never negated His covenant with the nation of Israel. To this day, they are STILL His chosen people. How, then, can we possibly turn our backs on the Jews and Israel?

I remember very well reading the book “The Hiding Place” by Corrie Ten Boom, a woman who courageously worked to help Jews escape from the Nazis when they occupied Holland in World War II. Although not Jews themselves, Corrie’s family assisted in the rescue of many Jews from being delivered to Nazi concentration camps. Once the Nazi plan became clear, Corrie’s father uttered these words: “I pity the poor Germans, Corrie. They have touched the apple of God’s eye.”

We will do ourselves, and our nation, a great injustice if we refuse to stand with the nation of Israel and the Jewish people. To this day, God has protected His people and allowed them to enjoy great military success in the face of great opposition. Lamentations 2:18 says: “…let not the apple of thine eye cease.”  Deuteronomy 32:10 says of Jacob, the grandson of Abraham: “…He kept him as the apple of His eye.”  That sounds as though God takes His Word and His promises very seriously! Whenever there has ever been any wavering regarding our loyalty to the nation of Israel, I have been very uneasy. To find ourselves on the opposite side of the God of the universe is a very uncomfortable position!

The people of the United States should hold Israel and its leaders in high esteem.  Israel has been loyal to us, and we should always stand ready to protect Israel against anyone who would seek to harm them. This year, I had the privilege to visit the land of Israel, and I feel even more passionate about standing with, and doing all we can to protect, these very special people. Ever since the country was reestablished in 1948, the people have had to live on constant alert, knowing where the closest shelter is to wherever they are at any given time. The infrastructure of Israel isn’t complete because the people have had to constantly stop building and fight off the enemies who want to destroy them.

Revelation 21:1-4 says: “And I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying “Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He shall dwell among  them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself shall be among them, and He shall wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there shall no longer be any death; there shall no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away. ”

God will always protect His people Israel; may we always be on God’s side!

Yet Another New Phase

During the many months–which turned into years–I have been taking pain medication to give me some degree of relief from the intense Crohn’s pain, I have been through just about every drug on the market. The one that FINALLY gave me relief in January was one of the big guns, the one they waited to try until nothing else had worked. The miracle of this drug was that, in addition to the fact that I was nearly pain free, it was completely non-sedating. The doctor’s office explained that, even though this was a very powerful drug, because I was taking it in an extended release form I did not get a “jolt” of pain relief as with other drugs that give all of the medication at one time. After having surgery I had to continue taking medications during my recovery period, but shortly after that I began to slowly come off of this medication. Since it is such a powerful drug, I have had to come off of it very slowly in order to avoid painful and uncomfortable withdrawal symptoms.

In addition to the side effects I could begin to have, there is also this question in the back of my mind: If I completely stop taking pain medication of any kind, will I still have any Crohn’s pain? I’ve had a rather false sense of security about that piece of this complicated puzzle. Now that I’ve had surgery to correct all of the structural problems in my digestive system, is it REALLY fixed??  There’s only one way to find that out, and that is to stop taking any kind of pain medications. It’s a rather scary thought, but it’s time to take that step. As I have begun my new medications to control the growth and spread of the Crohn’s Disease that still remains in my system, we will now find out if that piece will work as well. 

My brother has often told me that medicine is not an exact science, but I am very thankful that God has given researchers the wisdom to be able to help people with so many various illnesses. Medications have to be tried and doses may need adjustment as well. As with every other step of this journey, I will need to depend on my Savior to get me through this. There are unknowns and maybe a few bumps still on this road, but knowing that God Himself is with me and will continue to give me whatever I need to get through each hour of each day, I am confident in HIS unlimited power!

“My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.” Psalm 73:26

Lest We Forget

Having just spent a week listening to many stirring, positive speakers reminding us of how great America is, patriotism is and will be, front and center in my thoughts for the next 2 months. One of the greatest gifts we have been given is a godly heritage as the foundation of this blessed land. The Declaration of Independence reads: “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.” After enumerating the colonies’ grievances against King George of England, the signers resolved, “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.” These brave men understood that what they were undertaking was earth-shattering; once they put their names on that document, they were marked and could lose everything they valued except their sacred honor! That meant more to them than whatever they might lose, including their very lives. If called upon today, would we be willing to do the same? Or have we moved so far from understanding that we are dependent on divine Providence, forgetting that we as a nation were created,and have known the favor and protection of, Almighty God? It seems as though public mention of God and references to Him are being systematically removed from the American landscape. If we do not continue to remind succeeding generations about our godly heritage, this knowledge will be lost and we will end up as a totally secular society, having forgotten our very special roots.

The Bible tells us about another nation that neglected to pass on the truth about its heritage. When Israel had gone into the Promised Land, each tribe dispersed to the land that was given to them. Judges 2:10 says: “Eventually that entire generation died and was buried. Then another generation grew up that didn’t know anything of God or the work He had done for Israel.” That nation, the population of the people of Israel, soon became just like the people among whom they settled. They did evil in the eyes of God, and their fate was described as follows: “In those days there was no king in Israel. People did whatever they felt like doing.”

We are still a nation of laws, and God’s name hasn’t yet been expunged from our currency or our founding documents. We still say “one nation under God” as we pledge allegiance to the flag that symbolizes our land. In times of crisis, we still plead for God’s protection and blessing to rest upon us. God’s grace has not vanished from the American landscape, nor will it as long as His people still seek, and listen, to Him. Isaiah 55:6-11 says: “Seek the Lord while He may be found; call on Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake His way and the evil man his thoughts. Let him turn to the Lord, and He will have mercy on him, and to our God, for He will freely pardon. ‘For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways,’ declares the Lord. ‘As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts. As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is My Word that goes out from My mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and will achieve the purpose for which I sent it.'”

“Be careful that you do not forget the Lord your God, failing to observe His commands, His laws and decrees that I am giving to you this day…”