President Ronald Reagan’s belief, that America’s rendezvous with destiny involved a choice, never varied. In 1980, my wife and I sat on the capitol lawn as we personally heard Ronald Reagan reaffirm this view during his first inaugural address. In this address he clearly declared, “I do not believe in a fate that will fall on us no matter what we do. I do believe in a fate that will fall on us if we do nothing.” Please note the two choices.
Today, America is again at the crossroads of her rendezvous with destiny. The question is whether Americans understand that two paths lie before us, and whether American Christians will rise up to lead our nation in making the right decision. The hour is critical, and the hour is very, very late.
President Woodrow Wilson said, “America was born a Christian nation.” Today’s president is saying, “America is no longer a Christian nation.” Who is right, and which path we choose will not be determined by our history or by any president. The path that lies before us will be determined by the collective choice of the American people themselves. Not all will choose the right path, but make no mistake; a consensus will be reached. This and this alone will determine America’s rendezvous with destiny.
If America is to survive, we as Christians must choose to contend for the soul of our nation. The challenge for American Christians is whether we will own up to this God-given responsibility. The real question thus becomes: “Will Christians do their duty?”
The Bible is replete with verses that send forth God’s call to us to act on his behalf. In fact, the Bible actually tells us why nations are destroyed. Jeremiah 12:11 says: “The whole land is made desolate because no man layeth it to heart.” According to Jeremiah, the reason nations perish is because no one is determined to make a difference. In other words, we perish by default. We perish because we choose not to contend for the soul of our nation. This is an abdication of our God-given responsibility and both Heaven and our children will rise up to judge us for such selfish complacency.
Surely, this is what God meant when he said, “I sought for a man among them, that should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it: but I found none.” (Ezekiel 22:30) While the hope of our nation lies in God alone, the choice remains ours alone. Christians must not sit idly by while the wicked take over our country. To do so would be an unforgivable dereliction of duty!
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To my fellow pastors and Christians everywhere I say, “Rise up O men of God!” for, “Now is the time for all good men, (and women) to come to the aid of their country!”
But what does this involve? What does such duty demand? How can we as believers make a real difference? I believe that Christian citizenship requires practical action born of spiritual obligations. In a nation where Heaven itself has made “we the people” responsible for choosing our own paths, we must get off the sidelines and get into the arena. We must be both discerning and informed. We must volunteer our time, influence others, vote; and above all… we must pray!
I ask you to hear again a solemn quote by Ronald Reagan. In an address before the National Association of Evangelicals on March 8, 1983, President Reagan cautioned Americans with these words:
“There is sin and evil in the world, and we are enjoined by Scripture and the Lord Jesus to oppose it with all our might. I urge you to beware the temptation of pride, the temptation of blithely declaring yourselves above it all and thereby removing yourself from the struggle between right and wrong and good and evil.”
Christian America needs to heed this presidential warning. In January of 1981, Ronald Reagan placed his hand on the following Bible verse as he took the oath of office as President. It reads: “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.” (II Chronicles 7:14) President Reagan placed his hand on this verse because he understood the preeminent importance of prayer, and he further underscored this need by giving Americans an actual annual date for our National Day of Prayer.
I believe that you and I as Americans still have a rendezvous with destiny. The pressing question is this… “Which destiny will it be?” If the United States is to continue as “One Nation Under God”, we must not forget how to kneel. Whatever else we do, we must begin upon our knees!
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Senator Ed Moore served as a state senator of Oklahoma during the Reagan years. He now serves as founder and president of Prayer Force One, a rising national voice in America’s growing prayer movement. He may be reached by going to: www.PrayerForceOne.com
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