When I look at current events through the lens of Scripture, I see patterns that have repeated for thousands of years. Nations rise and fall. Prosperity leads to complacency. People turn away from God, consequences follow, and sometimes repentance brings restoration. Read the Old Testament. The cycle is hard to miss.

For generations, America has been the envy of much of the world. We’ve welcomed more immigrants than any other nation, and our influence reaches nearly every corner of the globe through music, movies, and television. Does America have faults? Of course. Every nation does. But part of the American spirit is recognizing our shortcomings and overcoming them. It’s celebrating progress without dwelling on scars from the past. That doesn’t make us immune to the same patterns that have brought other nations to their knees. And when I look at our division, I see something deeper than political parties. Are we shaping our principles and values around a constantly changing culture, or anchoring them in God’s Word? Culture changes. Popular opinion changes. God’s truth does not.

I don’t know what tomorrow holds for America or the world, but I know who holds tomorrow. I’ve found far more peace placing my hope in Jesus Christ than in any political party, president, or government. People will always disappoint us. God won’t. I can be concerned about what’s happening without being consumed by it. The battle belongs to the Lord. And I know how this story ends.

“‘As surely as I live,’ says the Lord, ‘every knee will bow before me; every tongue will acknowledge God.’” -Romans 14:11 NIV