What can we do? – Part 2

By: American Decency Staff

"What can we do?"

We've heard that question over and over again as we've spoken with supporters and event attendees – passionate Christians and patriots – throughout our years in this ministry.

We've asked it many times ourselves, and the writers at ADA have been tasked with doing our best to answer that question in a general way in a series of articles.

Lisa Van Houten addressed it first, and her excellent article can be found HERE.

Now it's my turn to delve into that question which seems to have few satisfying answers: "what can we do?"

Conveniently, the Psalmist asks the same question much more eloquently in Psalm 11: "If the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?"

But to our likely chagrin, the Psalmist does not answer his question with a checklist. He doesn't tell the people to get involved in local politics, or to love our neighbors, or to share the Gospel, or even to be strong and courageous.

In fact, Psalm 11 doesn't answer its own question at all, per se. In answer to, "what can the righteous do?"  the Psalm goes on to extol God's attributes of power, wisdom, justice, and righteousness.

The LORD is in his holy temple; the LORD’s throne is in heaven; his eyes see, his eyelids test the children of man.

The LORD tests the righteous, but his soul hates the wicked and the one who loves violence.

Let him rain coals on the wicked; fire and sulfur and a scorching wind shall be the portion of their cup.

               For the LORD is righteous…

So the Psalmist poses this problem: the world is falling apart around us, what can God's people do? and answers that God is all-powerful and His judgment is perfect.

What the righteous can do is recognize that the "foundations" are in God's hands, and He is the only One capable of upholding – or rebuilding – them.

Isn't that a reminder that conservatives in this country (myself included) need to hear? In the midst of our activism, our patriotism, our passion for our country or even, dare I say it, our desire to "Make America Great" again, we imagine that we have the power to replant the seeds that made America great in the first place.

The book of Ecclesiastes serves to put mankind in his rightful place. Our lives are a vapor, it says. The works of our hands will be forgotten. We cannot make straight what God has made crooked (Ecc. 7:13). We can't comprehend what God is doing: "then I saw all the work of God, that man cannot find out the work that is done under the sun. However much man may toil in seeking, he will not find it out. Even though a wise man claims to know, he cannot find it out." (Ecc. 8:17)

What charge does the "Preacher" of Ecclesiastes place on his readers, then?

"Go, eat your bread with joy, and drink your wine with a merry heart, for God has already approved what you do.

                 Let your garments be always white. Let not oil be lacking on your head.

Enjoy life with the wife whom you love, all the days of your vain life that he has given you under the sun, because that is your portion in life and in your toil at which you toil under the sun…" (Ecc. 9:7-9)

He says in 7:14, "in the day of prosperity be joyful, and in the day of adversity consider: God has made the one as well as the other, so that man may not find out anything that will be after him."

So far, we've gleaned two "action points" from the scripture, and both ought to be humbling:

1.      Rest in the knowledge that God is perfectly just and all-powerful.

2.       Rejoice in the good things that God has given you.

That is humbling right? We have God given eyes and brains in our head. We can see the culture devolving around us. We can see impending physical and spiritual doom, but God, in these verses, seems to be telling us to enjoy our meal and let Him handle it

Does that not make you feel like a child overhearing your parents talk about the budget?

Well, maybe that humility is the attitude that God wants us to have.

Our piggy banks can't fix this problem. Our elections every couple of years do nothing.

And maybe coming to that realization is what God means when He says, "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. (2 Chr. 7:14)

In his book, Desiring God, John Piper tells a parable explaining how God is glorified through prayer:

"…Suppose you are totally paralyzed and can do nothing for yourself but talk. And suppose a strong and reliable friend promised to live with you and do whatever you needed done. How could you glorify your friend if a stranger came to see you? Would you glorify his generosity and strength by trying to get out of bed and carry him?

No! You would say, "Friend, please come lift me up, and would you put a pillow behind me so I can look at my guest, and would you please put on my glasses for me?" And so your visitor would learn from your requests that you are helpless and that your friend is strong and kind. You glorify your friend by needing him and asking him for help and counting on him."

Friends, we are totally paralyzed. We don't just need more voters who agree with us, or laws that reflect our values, or leaders who have our backs. We need to understand that God is the only hope for the future of this nation.

Now, I have withheld the last snippet of Psalm 11, lest we come to the end feeling like we're getting our pictures taken and we don't know what to do with our hands.

"For the LORD is righteous; he loves righteous deeds; the upright shall behold his face."

"When the foundations are destroyed… the Lord loves righteous deeds."

Jesus Himself tells His disciples what that means for His followers,  “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house.  In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven."

To utilize the favorite tool of the old-time preacher – alliteration: Let us glorify our "Strong Friend" in our Rest, our Rejoicing, and in our Righteousness.

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