HISTORY AND FAITH, PATRIOTISM AND CITIZENSHIP
Hebrews 11:13
All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth. 14People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. 15If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. 16Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.
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In Hebrews 11, often called the “faith chapter,” we read an account of some of the heroes of faith. We read that these men and women used their faith to elevate their view of the world and shift their allegiance from their earthly countries to a heavenly one. In fact, I believe one of the reasons they were enabled to be heroic in the faith – even unto death - is because, no matter what circumstances they faced in their own nations, cities and cultures, they understood that they were “aliens and strangers” on this earth. And so we must come to grips with this reality of our faith that even America – once called the greatest nation on earth – is not our true home.
I have always been a patriot, passionately in love with the United States and all that she has stood for. However, as I watch a new history unfold in America, I am acutely aware that the America I’ve known and loved all my life may not be the America that my children will know as adults. I think even people who are not the least bit interested in history and politics can sense this shift taking place at the very core of our nation. Lately, I have been tempted to grieve, mourn and wail over this historical makeover of our culture, economy, and political system. But as I pray over it instead, I am challenged by the Holy Spirit to consider the heroes of our faith and to begin to shift my patriotic allegiance from my earthly home to my heavenly home. As I put this into practice and begin to shift all of my patriotic passion for America, to the kingdom of God and the realization of the life, liberty and pursuit of pure joy that awaits me there, I am no longer dragged down by the worry over what’s happening in the United States. I realize that I am no longer limited by the political and economic decisions made by leaders for whom I did or didn’t vote. No matter what may come, my future and the future of my family are not ultimately governed by the current winds of history when my love and faith no longer depend on whether a nation or political system continue to exist.
From now on, I am fixing my eyes and ears and heart on a heavenly retirement plan, on a future built on the faith of things hoped for. Having money or a job or a college fund are no longer the issues because the goal is no longer realizing “the American dream.” Having my eyes fixed on heaven with a faith that cannot be moved and a joy that cannot be quenched by circumstances is the key to realizing the kingdom dream that God has always had for me and for all of His people. So I am sending my my hope, my loyalty and even my patriotism all ahead to a place that is still unseen. As I do this, I no longer think of myself as an American Christian. I am a Christian; what country I live in only matters inasmuch as it matters that I am in the place where God places me to live and to serve. My wholehearted national identity and allegiance now fully belongs to the kingdom of God! I am a citizen from there, with full rights and privileges to exercise here that no government on earth can take away.
Best of all, my King to whom I pledge my life, heart, and patriotic loyalty is coming back. None of us knows when but we do know that all history – even the history being made in our country today - is hastening that day. Our part now is to lift up our heads as we occupy and await His return, to look up and wait in hope – a hope, which the Bible says, purifies us. Until that day, our pledge of allegiance should be, “Maranatha, Lord Jesus! May your kingdom come, may your will be done on earth as it is in heaven!” Nothing else matters more – not the food we eat, the clothes we wear, or the jobs we do. Instead, we are entitled by our citizenship in heaven, to be more than conquerors until we are safely home. While we are here, our real food is the Word, our real clothes are robes of righteousness, and our real job is to tell others about Jesus as we seek to relieve their suffering. And as we wait on Him and serve others, we can continue to practice the patriotic anthem that we will declare joyfully throughout eternity “All Hail, King Jesus! Worthy, worthy, worthy is the Lamb who sits on the Throne! To HIM be all the glory and honor and praise, forever and ever and ever. Amen!” LF for PB