With All the elections coming up, our focus naturally is on the condition of our country, which leads me to look at America's History. The History of this country is not a bed of roses either.
I am amazed at something I am reading about tonight. I decided to look up the story of the 'Trail of Tears'. Sadly, I had only heard of this, and many times, because it is a reference given by those who want to make sure that everyone knows that our country did not start because Godly people were running our nation.
The reason I am posting this is because in reading about this Historical event, I have learned that there were similarities of that event compared with what we are going through today, during this presidential campaign.
I know very little about Andrew Jackson. I thought I had heard that he was a Christian, but maybe it was someone else. In reading this article, I am seeing that this man was very cruel. He was in charge of the event of the 'Indian-Removal' Act which led to the 'Trail of Tears' where many Indians died as they were forced to move away from their land.
There were many states which joined together to get the Indians to move out of the land they were living on. The reason was due to the fact the the white people wanted the Indian's land, and so they worked together to make laws to get the Indians out. But the Supreme Court objected, at least in the cases in a couple of states. Nevertheless, the Federal Government got its way, and President Jackson disregarded the Supreme Court's decisions.
What kind of a man was President Jackson? Would we have voted him into office if he were running today? According to a Wikipedia article, Jackson killed a man in a duel over his wife, Rachel. He owned hundreds of slaves who worked on the Hermitage Plantation. His decision to invade the Seminole territory in Florida led directly to the First Seminole War, which resulted in Florida being taken away from Spain. He lost in the House of Representatives and blamed the loss on a 'corrupt bargain' between Adams and Henry Clay. Interestingly, he was the one who started the Democratic party.
We tend to think of Early America as a nice nation started by Christian people who loved and feared God, but, it must not have been so, or at least in part.
The reason I am writing this is actually as an encouragement. If this is true about this time in American History, then our country was in trouble even back then. God has been merciful to us as a nation, and we should be thankful for that. We should be taking advantage of the freedom we do have as a people. We should be using this season of our lives for sharing the Gospel and making God's name known in truth.
We have a lot of problems in our country today. This is why we need to be praying for our churches and for our country. May God make us to be the people of God He wants us to be. May our churches be filled with the love of God for each other and for the lost. We can pray for the church in America and for our country to turn back to God.
Throughout History, there is always this cycle where God blesses a people. The people enjoy God's blessings, then, they forget about God. They become full and aren't hungry for God anymore, so they start looking for other things to fulfill them. Eventually, they worship the creature rather than the Creator, then God withdraws His blessings and people suffer. Now we are in a time where many have hardened their hearts against God, and refuse to be saved. God has turned them over to believe the lie. Many in our society are living in a world of lies.
The answer lies in us. We need to be changed by God's power. Then our churches will become vibrant. They will be lights in the darkened communities around them. The standard of right and wrong, good and evil, light and darkness, and truth and error will become evident once again.
"If my people who are called by my name will humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, then will I hear from heaven and forgive their sin, and heal their land" applies to Israel, but, there is truth in it for us as well. Whenever we turn to God in repentance and faith, He will turn to us. Our land could be healed if we turn to God. If we pray for ourselves to change, and we pray for our churches, and for our country, God will help us. We need to act on this though, and not just store it in our heads.
Resources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_Jackson
http://www.history.com/topics/native-american-history/trail-of-tears
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