[Darris McNeely] It's been a rough period for America. It's taken a lot of hits by people who have made some accusations and we've been through some very difficult times in recent months. And the image of America has taken a hit. People have accused it of not living up to its promises and focused on its problems. And there are problems, that's true. But, you know, there's a lot yet that is good and beautiful to think about when it comes to America.

There are a lot of good people in this land that are sincere. We need to think about that. We're in the season of American Thanksgiving, and we're thinking about turkeys, and family gatherings, and hoping that COVID doesn't take that away from us. But it's a very warm moment to pause and to think about really the beauty of America, this fair land, a land that truly has been blessed by God in so many ways, above all other nations, by virtue of its natural resources, its natural beauty and frankly, so much about its story and its history.

In the Bible, Genesis 12, there's a story that begins there that helps us to understand why we have all of this, God said to the patriarch, Abraham, "Go from your country, your people, and your father's house to the land that I will show you." And He said, "I will make of you a great nation. I will bless you and your name will be great. And you will be a blessing. And I will bless those who bless you and whoever curses you I will curse. And all the peoples of the Earth will be blessed through you." Fantastic promise, foundation stone and so much of the Bible was repeated to his son Isaac, to his grandson Jacob. It was expanded. Passed on to Joseph. The Bible clearly shows that there would be a people in the time of the end at the conclusion of the age of man who would have the same promises that were given to Joseph.

When we look at history, when we look at where we are in the modern age, America certainly is a nation that has been blessed with those Abrahamic promises passed down through his children. And, you know, many people have believed that to be true through the years. The founding fathers of this land and many of the people who came to these shores believe they were led by God to this place. Many of them throughout history have written books. And even in the modern times, there are still books that are written that talk about the miracle that is America, that the divine providential hand that has guided so many events in our storied history that the hand of God cannot be denied. It's true.

And many people believe that the story of the Bible tells us something that we should be able to understand about the physical glory that we have in America today, and that it is something true, and we can look for from God, and perhaps even recognize that we see only in small part certain things that God has revealed.

I remember, and you as well will, the story from Exodus, where Moses wanted to see God. It's told in chapter 33 of Exodus and is after God had given the commandments to Moses, and he said, "Let me see your glory." And God said, "All right, I will show you my glory." And He said, "I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the Lord in your presence." And God said to Moses, "I'll have mercy on whom I will have mercy. I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion." But He said to Moses, "You cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live." The Lord then said, "There's a place near me where you may stand on a rock. And when my glory passes by, I'll put you in a cleft in the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by, then I'll remove my hand and you will see my back but my face must not be seen." That's out of Exodus 33. Moses only saw a part of the glory of God after He passed through.

There's a lot of rich meaning from that passage. I sometimes wonder if, as we look at the glory of God, even in modern times, in a land like America, blessed with tremendous physical abundance, a storied history, as I said, told by so many historians of events and circumstances that have led to its founding, its continuance, and its place in the world today, that could only be providential if we've only seen a bit of the glory of God that is passed by in modern times in this land, in its story, where we are, and with what we are doing.

Have we only seen in America a part of the glory of God?

The great physical blessings that we have, I think, do bear witness to God's glory and God's intent to bless all the peoples of the Earth, all races, all ethnicities, every human being with spiritual promises of Abraham. And the marker of God's fulfillment to that physical promise in America and other nations today is a sign of that, a bit of the glory of God. It's something to think about.

You know, as I said, America has taken a bad hit. And the story of America has kind of been rearranged from some quarters to tell a different story than what history tells and frankly, what the Bible tells us about our land as well and what we have inherited. America is a rich and beautiful land with many good people who still look for a brighter day and seek their light to shine in a very dark world. And do pray for America as we all should, even with its problems, both real and imagined.

At this time of national Thanksgiving in the United States, let's remember God's promises, let's remember where true freedom and liberty comes from, and let's remember what we have, and let's be thankful for that.

That's BT Daily. Join us next time.