Our Hope . . .

. . . is in Jesus. It is not in the man or woman you voted for yesterday, whether your guy won or lost. Jesus is our hope. As wonderful as our particular political system is, our hope is not in democracy. If you have lost your patience with our particular brand of democracy, though, see if you can book your next vacation in North Korea. Perhaps a week or two in that land will give you a renewed appreciation for what God has given us here.

But, wait. I do not mean to connect America with God any more than is proper. I do believe that God has given us the blessings we have enjoyed for these many years. But, there is this: Jesus is not America's hope. (Oh, I can see the color rising in your cheeks even now!)

Please allow me to explain. Jesus is the hope of the Church, the hope of all who trust His sacrifice on the cross for salvation and who follow Him. And while it would be our great desire for every person in America to trust Jesus as Savior, His description of the narrow road and broad road in Matthew 7 helps us to understand that our desire will never be fulfilled.

Please move to the next paragraph if you feel yourself bogging down in this one - but, I think these words are important. If you have been tempted to muse about this world getting better and better so that we can, in essence, usher Jesus into an awaiting Kingdom, may I encourage you to move beyond that delusion. (more color in more cheeks) It was a popular belief about 100 years ago, but World War I put a serious dent into the idea. World War II ended it - for quite awhile. It is back as a reaction to the fatalism so evident among Dispensationalists who don't mind societal decline because it means that Jesus is coming soon (shame on you if you are not involved in making your community a better place b/c you want to hasten the return of Jesus!), but a belief in the goodness of man (necessary for a Postmillenial View) is no more plausible today than it was in 1944 when millions of Jews were being slaughtered in German concentration camps, to name only one of many atrocities being committed worldwide in that year.

If you checked out for the last few lines, that is OK. Please wake up, though, for the biblical definition of hope. Almost every time you see the word hope in the New Testament, it is referring to eternal life with Jesus that is ours when we embrace a personal relationship with Him. It is a calm and certain assurance of our future. The modern American use of the word hope carries an entirely different meaning. We consider hope more a possibility than a sure thing. So, when people say that Jesus is America's hope, they mean He is the only way out of the mess we are in today. The best thing you can do for America is not to pursue political activism (though I am extremely grateful for Christians who are politically active - not the contradiction it may seem, in my mind, at least), but to spread the gospel message - Jesus is Lord!

There is no biblical way to tie America directly to God in the same sense that Israel was connected to God in the Old Testament. (some cheeks are now crimson) It is true that when individuals or nations follow biblical principles, they will find blessing and success, such as is available in this world, that is. Of course, the problem of evil calls even this general truth into question. I do believe that we are in trouble as a nation because we have reached the place where we unashamedly call evil, good, and good, evil - a clear violation of biblical principles. Even if we turn away from our wickedness (not likely without a major revival), Jesus will still not be the hope of our nation.

He is your hope, though, if you are a Christ-follower! Not only am I concerned about the future of our nation (the immediate economic future as well as the long-term moral decay and our place in the world), but I very much want things to remain as normal as possible - I confess that I appreciate the freedom and affluence we enjoy. I do not long for persecution to come to our land so that we can see who the "true" Christians are. Should destruction and persecution come to our fair country, though, Jesus will be our hope. He is now. Live like it!