In 2006 I took a short-term mission trip to Havana, Cuba. A team of about a dozen of us went there [through Cancun, since you cannot fly direct into Cuba from the U.S.] to do Spanish Bible distribution and evangelistic work [both against the law] and to teach/encourage the leaders of a network of house churches throughout the city. I was struck by the slum-like conditions of the entire city, after 40+ years under a military controlled, communistic, atheistic totalitarian dictatorship. We could not drink the water. It was unsafe. Electricity was provided by un-insulated wire strung on the outside of the buildings; and was not consistent or reliable. The streets were in disrepair. The gutters on the edges of the streets were open sewers. The housing was substandard to say the least. Children played in weeded lots and mud holes. We could not openly assemble. We could not publicly distribute literature. There was no freedom of speech or freedom of assembly. Everything we did had to be done in homes or inside of walled back yards, which meant the crowds were limited to a hundred or less at a time. Every time I travel to a third world country, I am struck by how blessed we are in this nation.
Why is this true? Is it because we are just lucky? Is it because we are more intelligent or hard working? No. The answer is in Psalm 33:12, “Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord….” This is why we have had prolonged prosperity and productivity. This is why we have 50% of the world’s resources and only 4% of the world’s population. This is why, in the last 200 years, France has had 5 different forms of government and Italy has had over 50 forms of government and the Soviet Union with all their vast resources collapsed a few years ago after only 75 years of existence. But, what of our future? I believe it is in jeopardy unless there is national repentance. We are presently on a slippery slope as secularism rages on and spiritual values and life are scorned by the masses.
Pray with me…. Our Father, we never have been and we never will be a perfect nation, because there are no perfect people in this nation. But we can be a nation that is universally and unapologetically on a quest to be perfected by the grace of Jesus Christ and invested in the advancement of His kingdom through the living church. This is our magnificent obsession. That your kingdom will come, and your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. In Jesus name, amen.
Blessings,
Pastor Ken
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