Now that the election is over, what can America expect?
The United States just reelected President Obama for another four years. What can we expect in the near future? Does the Bible give us any answers?
In a very polarized election, Americans chose to keep President Obama in office. The race was bitterly fought, and the popular vote showed a nation almost equally divided.
A house divided cannot stand
Basically half of Americans were satisfied with the direction America is going, but another half wanted change. The political tone and hardening positions of the parties makes many question whether they will be able to work together.
Jesus Christ said that a house divided cannot stand (Mark 3:24-25). And elsewhere the Bible says, “Can two walk together, unless they are agreed?” (Amos 3:3).
Some elected officials have decided to leave Congress because of the lack of cooperation among its members. Many public servants today have become self-serving, instead of looking to the interests of their communities.
This unwillingness to work together has caused many of the crises that Congress has to deal with on a seemingly weekly basis. Unless they can begin to cooperate, more crises will be on the horizon.
But this division is not limited to America’s governing officials. Individuals can’t agree on issues like abortion and same-sex marriages.
The reason we go in different directions on many issues is because we won’t use our moral compass—the Word of God.
When we choose not to follow God’s instructions, we only create problems for ourselves. We aren’t always as smart and right as we think we are. Jesus Christ said that God’s Word is truth (John 17:17).
If we continue to follow our own ideas, and not God’s instructions, then we can expect to see more families and communities falling apart.
Heads or tails?
Beginning in the early 1800s, the United States became a world power. After the end of the Second World War, America was the greatest nation on earth. America’s rise to power was the fulfillment of God’s promised blessings to the patriarch Abraham.
God told the descendants of Abraham—both ancient and modern Israel—that if they would follow His way of life, they would be the head, or the leaders of the world (Deuteronomy 28:13-14). But God also told them that if they rejected His commandments and statutes, they would become the tail (verse 44).
Up until about 1960, other nations looked up to the United States. But after 1960, the morality of America declined rapidly. And that decline is increasing exponentially today.
This is a major reason America is looked down upon today.
The only way the United States can regain its past position is for Americans to acknowledge God as the source of our power and keep His commandments. No man or woman can restore America’s greatness since it was God who gave it to begin with.
So, until we turn to God, America’s world influence will continue to decline.
Can America even get out of debt?
It may seem hard to believe, but at one time the United States was the world’s largest creditor nation. Today we are the greatest debtor nation. Our economy is in shambles.
When President Obama took office in 2009, America’s national debt was already $10 trillion. Today it has passed $16 trillion. And in four years the debt is estimated to become nearly $23 trillion!
God said that the financial mess we are in would happen if we forsook Him. “The alien who is among you shall rise higher and higher above you, and you shall come down lower and lower. He shall lend to you, but you shall not lend to him; he shall be the head, and you shall be the tail.
“Moreover all these curses shall come upon you and pursue and overtake you, until you are destroyed, because you did not obey the voice of the LORD your God, to keep His commandments and His statutes which He commanded you” (Deuteronomy 28:43-45).
China finances much of America’s debt. There has been talk about China’s unfair trade practices, and President Obama said that he will crack down on them. But do you bite the hand that feeds you?
Instead of looking to God, America is looking to other countries for help. And God says that is not going to work. Many financial analysts are talking about the “fiscal cliff” we will be approaching by the end of this year.
God is the only lasting solution to America’s debt problem. If we don’t look to Him for that help, then we can only expect America’s economy to worsen in the coming years.
Who does America want to have as its leader?
During this election year, both President Obama and Governor Romney made promises. Americans had to choose, and most of the people chose to keep President Obama in office.
But each of us must make a much bigger choice. That choice is whether to follow God or not.
God said to America’s ancestors, “I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live; that you may love the LORD your God, that you may obey His voice, and that you may cling to Him, for He is your life and the length of your days” (Deuteronomy 30:19-20).
Yes, God spells out the benefits of following Him and, unlike many elected officials, God keeps His promises (Hebrews 6:18).
America’s success or failure in the coming years depends on its citizens’ relationship with God. Blessings or cursings will result from how good or how bad that relationship is.
How will we choose?
For more about what the Bible says about America’s past and future, see our section on “Where Is America in Prophecy?”
Date Posted: November 13, 2012
About the Author
Tim Groves
Tim Groves attends the Jefferson, Georgia, congregation of the Church of God, a Worldwide Association, where he serves as a deacon.
He has been married to his wife, Teresa, for over 30 years. Together, they have two daughters and two sons and live in South Carolina. They moved there from Ohio in 1997 to flee the cold northern winters and allow him to do the things he really enjoys, like roaming though automobile junkyards looking for hidden treasures from times long past.
by Tim Groves
