Sheila and I went to the theater last night (with other GCC'ers), and watched Dinesh D'Souza's AMERICA. Basically, it asks the same question asked in the old classic movie, "It's a Wonderful Life." Just as that movie shows us what Jimmy Stewart's hometown of Bedford Falls would be like if he hadn't lived, AMERICA asks what we think the world would be like if America never existed.
Hmmmm. Good question, but America does exist, so I sat through the movie and after 20 minutes of previews (which I thoroughly enjoyed), I thanked GOD for the men and women who made America. Rather than submitting to a new king, and writing a Declaration of Dependence on Our King Instead of England's King, they gave us a nation with no king at all. Then they signed their Declaration of Independence. Amazing.
"Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just Powers from the Consent of the Governed." — Thomas Jefferson, the Declaration of Independence
"The Governed" created three co-equal branches of government: Legislative, Judicial and Executive and there's not one king is the whole lot of them.
But there are a few folks who wield great influence.
Students of history will note countries and cultures were often shaped by a very small group of highly motivated leaders. Cultural anthropologists can track the viral spread of redemptive faith as it was spread by influential leaders; they can point to sweeping religious movements that lifted entire populations from hopeless despair because of the faith of a few leaders. They can also chronicle the spread of evil and cruelty infecting civiliations with the pathologies of wicked leaders; they're able to track the contagion of paganism and godlessness as it spreads through societies and crushes the souls of men.
Nations rise and fall the same way businesses, families, marriages and churches rise and fall. They increase for the same reasons they decrease ... because of their leaders.
Leadership matters. I don't care if you have a King, Queen, Potentate, Czar, Chief, Emperor or President. I don't care if you vested all authority in one ruler or power is shared by many. Whoever has influence has power and when people have good leaders they prosper.
No wonder the scriptures tell GOD's people to pray for our leaders!
First of all, then, I admonish and urge that petitions, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be offered on behalf of all men, For kings and all who are in positions of authority or high responsibility, that [outwardly] we may pass a quiet and undisturbed life [and inwardly] a peaceable one in all godliness and reverence and seriousness in every way. For such [praying] is good and right, and [it is] pleasing and acceptable to God our Savior. - 1 Timothy 2:1-3
We're moving through Day 21 of our 40 Day Experience of GOD and our Bible reading begins with Proverbs 21:1: "The king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord, as are the watercourses; He turns it whichever way He wills."
GOD is at work. The most powerful person in the land is in the hand of the Lord.
Maybe it's time to pray for our leaders.
Proverbs 21
New Living Translation
1 The king’s heart is like a stream of water directed by the Lord;
he guides it wherever he pleases.
2 People may be right in their own eyes,
but the Lord examines their heart.
3 The Lord is more pleased when we do what is right and just
than when we offer him sacrifices.
4 Haughty eyes, a proud heart,
and evil actions are all sin.
5 Good planning and hard work lead to prosperity,
but hasty shortcuts lead to poverty.
6 Wealth created by a lying tongue
is a vanishing mist and a deadly trap.
7 The violence of the wicked sweeps them away,
because they refuse to do what is just.
8 The guilty walk a crooked path;
the innocent travel a straight road.
9 It’s better to live alone in the corner of an attic
than with a quarrelsome wife in a lovely home.
10 Evil people desire evil;
their neighbors get no mercy from them.
11 If you punish a mocker, the simpleminded become wise;
if you instruct the wise, they will be all the wiser.
12 The Righteous One knows what is going on in the homes of the wicked;
he will bring disaster on them.
13 Those who shut their ears to the cries of the poor
will be ignored in their own time of need.
14 A secret gift calms anger;
a bribe under the table pacifies fury.
15 Justice is a joy to the godly,
but it terrifies evildoers.
16 The person who strays from common sense
will end up in the company of the dead.
17 Those who love pleasure become poor;
those who love wine and luxury will never be rich.
18 The wicked are punished in place of the godly,
and traitors in place of the honest.
19 It’s better to live alone in the desert
than with a quarrelsome, complaining wife.
20 The wise have wealth and luxury,
but fools spend whatever they get.
21 Whoever pursues righteousness and unfailing love
will find life, righteousness, and honor.
22 The wise conquer the city of the strong
and level the fortress in which they trust.
23 Watch your tongue and keep your mouth shut,
and you will stay out of trouble.
24 Mockers are proud and haughty;
they act with boundless arrogance.
25 Despite their desires, the lazy will come to ruin,
for their hands refuse to work.
26 Some people are always greedy for more,
but the godly love to give!
27 The sacrifice of an evil person is detestable,
especially when it is offered with wrong motives.
28 A false witness will be cut off,
but a credible witness will be allowed to speak.
29 The wicked bluff their way through,
but the virtuous think before they act.
30 No human wisdom or understanding or plan
can stand against the Lord.
31 The horse is prepared for the day of battle,
but the victory belongs to the Lord.
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