Hi Friend,

There are thoughtful and intelligent people who like to play the “what if” game to gain a deeper understanding of life.  So here’s a “what if” question. What if you learned you could not trust other humans?  You could only trust your spouse, your children and a few close friends?

Jesus predicted this and even worse when He said, “You will be betrayed even by parents and brothers, relatives and friends; and they will put some of you to death.  And you will be hated by all for My name’s sake.” (Luke 21:16-17)

Reading an article by an international financial guru, I was impressed by his insight.  The title of his post was “An Angry Nation.”  That’s not a particularly deep observation, but his analysis of “why” we are angry is profound.  He said it is because we have lost trust.  We don’t believe the press—we don’t believe the politicians—we don’t believe the medical establishment—we don’t believe our educators.  We know the leaders have betrayed us and the reins of power are so corrupted that there is no way for honest people to effectively resist.  Who can you trust?

That may have been what Solomon had in mind when he penned, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” (Proverbs 3:5-6)

Solomon was not writing a shallow cliché without a basis in real time politics.  He was the King of Israel, the most powerful nation on earth under his reign.  He was the wealthiest man on earth.  He was writing from experience, often bitter experience.

We are taught in Psalms 146:3, “Do not put your trust in princes, Nor in a son of man, in whom there is no help.”  We are learning that.  The leaders (princes) of our country betrayed the citizens by denying the first amendment right to worship God.  Pilgrims who came to America to escape religious persecution in foreign countries will rise up in the resurrection and condemn today’s leaders for betraying the freedoms they sacrificed to secure for us.

But it is more than the betrayal of citizens. They have betrayed the God who gave us these precious liberties. When Democrat Representative Emanuel Cleaver opened the 117th Congress by praying to the monotheistic god, Brahma, he betrayed God who gave us freedom. Notably absent from the prayer was any reference to Jesus Christ.  It should be noted that Congressman Cleaver is a Methodist minister.

When the Pilgrims arrived in the Promised Land, they created the first legal document called the Mayflower Compact.  It dedicated the country to God and to spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ.  Where is Brahma mentioned?  When they crossed the Atlantic Ocean in a tiny ship surrounded by intense storms, which of them prayed to Brahma?  And when they first touched ground after over 60 days at sea, which of them fell on their knees and gave thanks to Brahma?

Which of the Founding Fathers prayed to Brahma for wisdom and spiritual help to establish this country?  When the Founding Fathers prayed for guidance to create a constitution, to whom did they pray?  Was it not the God of the Bible?

No, Emanuel Cleaver, you didn’t just betray the people—you betrayed God who answered the prayers of thousands of religious wanderers who searched the earth for a place to worship God and in so doing founded America—and in your blasphemous prayer you placed the citizens of this country under a curse.

You also betrayed the trust of the American people who required that you place your hand on the Holy Bible and swear to uphold the Constitution of the United States of America.  You swore an oath before Almighty God—but you forgot that God—and replaced him with Brahma, a pagan god who is not a god.

Since man first lived on the earth there have been only two nations that were formed by men that through prayer and reason sought to create a nation governed by the rule of law.  Those two nations are Israel, under the system of judges, and the United States of America.

No, Congressman Cleaver, I don’t trust you or your friends in Congress. You sacrifice nothing, receive so much and betray our trust.

But there is a good side to this.  There is One we can trust—it is the God of the Bible.  The One trusted by Abraham, Moses, and Jesus Christ.  Jesus trusted That God so much that He was willing to make the ultimate sacrifice, through which we have the chance to live forever.  Those who believe in that God CAN BE trusted to govern cities in the Kingdom to come.

Until next time,

Jim O’Brien