Will God Judge America?

Sin seems to be so rampant in our society.  Everywhere we turn, we see people acting in selfish, sinful ways.  In Romans 1: 18-28, Paul describes God’s wrath against humanity.  It reaches a climax in verses 29-32: “They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents;  they have no understanding, no fidelity, no love, no mercy.  Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.”

I wonder, does God get tired of our rebellious, deceitful, selfish ways?  Sometimes we think that God’s love and mercy are never-ending.  However, in the last part of the Old Testament, we read of God’s judgment on his beloved people, Israel.  Do we Americans believe that we’re more special than Israel?  For all of my half-century-plus of life, the USA has been a world superpower.  In conversations and news media, I get the impression that many assume that our nation will always be a superpower.  Yet history shows that every great nation, every superpower and empire has come to a downfall, and there are no exceptions. 

Why do we assume that our current nation so special?  Yes, at one time, the US was a Christian nation, but that time ended decades ago.  How many government officials, judges and Supreme Court decisions have made that clear?

If God could judge his special people Israel, I see no reason why God would also eventually judge America.  My heart aches when I observe so many who openly reject God and Christians who take God’s forgiveness for granted.  I hope I’m wrong, and that God will extend his blessings on the USA.  But what will happen if God lets us suffer the consequences of our selfish sinful ways?  

Some are saying that our rapidly increasing national debt will lead to bad results.  I do not mean this in a partisan way, as http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:US_Public_Debt_Ceiling_1981-2010.png shows that the debt ceiling has increased under Democratic and GOP presidents, and under Democratic- and GOP-controlled congresses.  BOTH parties are responsible for the debt, and BOTH need to cooperate to manage and reduce it.  If you want to learn more about the US debt from a nonpartisan source, I recommend reading http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/US_debt.  Consequences of the rapidly increasing debt include slower economic growth, another downgrade in US bond credit rating, and doubts about solvency and inflation.  I believe that the rapidly increasing US debt will lead to a financial crisis in my lifetime. 

Sometimes Jeremiah 29:11 is cited as a reason for hoping that God will improve our condition, “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”   However, Jeremiah 29 was written when Israel was in exile for 70 years in Babylon, after the Babylonian army had destroyed and burned Jerusalem and the temple, and the Israelites were taken to Babylon as slaves.  In other words, that was AFTER God judged Israel, and was meant to give Israel hope and comfort while they were suffering as slaves in a foreign land.

Will God judge America?  If God let Israel suffer the consequences of their sin, why wouldn’t God let America suffer the same?