Do you tremble for your country?

The world has always been full of unrest, at least somewhere. But with the Middle East heating up, nuclear weapons being made where the situation is hostile and volatile, terrorism erupting in every country—what does it mean for the United States?

A while back, I posted a quote from Thomas Jefferson:

“I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just; that his justice cannot sleep forever.”

Is that what we are facing? Is God trying to get our attention? Is His justice on the United States to be feared?

First let me state this clearly—I am not saying that God sent the terrorists to plunge aircraft into the Twin Towers to get our attention. When terrorists attack our government on foreign soil and kill our citizens, I do not mean to imply for a moment that this is the hand of God reigning down judgment. There are those who espouse that, I do not.

Without attempting to portray a doom and gloom scenario, one thing we do know from Scripture—God is always trying to get our attention. We see time and time again where He uses events to draw his nation Israel to Himself.

But God is not referring only to Israel—He is speaking to us as individuals as well.

2 Chronicles 7:14 quotes God as saying,

“… if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”

In my own life, events have drawn me back to God after taking matters into my own hands or ending up farther out on a limb than I had intended. My response to God has been outlined in the above verse—I am to humble myself, pray, and seek God’s face as I turn my back on sin. If I want his forgiveness and healing of my land, I am told what I must do.

As individuals, we are to pray for those in authority over us because of what it means to us as a people. Do we do that on a regular basis? It matters—otherwise we would not be called upon to do so.

Terrorism has plagued the world for decades, and now it is becoming a bigger problem for our homeland. Prayer is more essential than it ever has been.