“For the Lord is our judge, the Lord is our lawgiver, the Lord is our king; it is he who will save us.”
Isaiah 33:22 (NIV)
God’s Word Shaped American Government
There is something sacred about structure when God authors it. America’s form of government was not merely stitched together by human ideas and ambition. It reflected the order and authority of God’s Word.
When the Founders shaped the separation of powers in our government—executive, legislative, and judicial—they mirrored what Isaiah 33:22 had already revealed: God is our Judge, our Lawgiver, and our King. The Founders did not invent the three-branch system; they modeled it after a divine pattern.
As the debates at the Constitutional Convention turned tense, it was Benjamin Franklin—the oldest voice in the room—who urged the delegates to seek God in prayer. He stated, “I have lived, sir, a long time, and the longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth—that God governs in the affairs of men.” His call for divine guidance likely shaped the atmosphere, setting a tone that this would not be a government built apart from God. It would be one that dared to build under His covering.
Our Institutions Still Testify the Truth
The spiritual foundation of our nation showed up in tangible, lasting ways. You can still see it today, carved into stone and set into structure. The Capitol, Supreme Court, and the White House were not just designed with order in mind. They were built with reverence for a God who was not only present in the hearts of our leaders but honored in the very places where laws would be made and justice would be weighed.
- Inscriptions of Scripture appear on the walls, friezes, and doorways
- Moses and the Ten Commandments adorn the architecture of the Supreme Court
- A Bible rests in the cornerstone of the Washington Monument
These are not ornamental gestures, they represent convictions held by the very leaders who shaped this nation.
The Historical Record Confirms America’s Christian Foundation
Despite modern claims that America was built as a secular state, history says otherwise. The words and actions of our early leaders speak with clarity and consistency.
Consider what our early government established and affirmed:
- One of Congress’s first acts was to fund Bible printing and distribution
- Church services were held weekly in the U.S. Capitol and Supreme Court chambers until the late 1820s
- In 1854, the U.S. House Judiciary Committee declared: “Had the people, during the Revolution, had a suspicion of any attempt to war against Christianity, that Revolution would have been strangled in its cradle…that was the religion of the Founders of the republic, and they expected it to remain the religion of their descendants.”
- In 1892, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Church of the Holy Trinity v. United States, 143 U.S. 457: “This is a Christian nation,” and cited over 80 historical precedents to prove America’s religious heritage
- Congress opens every session with prayer, led by a chaplain—a tradition honored since May 1, 1789, and still in place today (House Chaplain Official Site)
Truth Still Belongs in Leadership
When God’s Word guided our governance, we flourished. But when a nation forgets the source of its wisdom, it unravels. Jeremiah 18 reminds us that God blesses or breaks a nation based on its response to His truth.
At the Great Awakening Project, we work to restore righteousness in key cultural spheres—like business, education, the church, and government—by identifying key leaders and facilitating strategic collaboration for maximum impact.
Principled leadership can once again shape the future of our nation—but only if we rebuild trust in the process that puts them in office.
Restoring government begins with returning to the truth that once guided it.