“We are not the government of the world.”

This statement was uttered by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio at a press briefing defending Washington’s limited response to a foreign humanitarian crisis. Though made in passing, the remark reflected a broader shift already underway—a reassessment of America’s role on the global stage.

This rethink is not driven by weakness. Despite financial hiccups and political turmoil, the United States remains a global powerhouse. In 2024, it had a GDP of $29.18 trillion—the highest in the world. It also maintains the most powerful military on Earth, topping the 2024 Global Firepower rankings among 145 countries.

Regardless of who is in office, America’s global role is never far from its leaders’ minds. Each presidential administration tries to steer the nation toward its own idea of greatness—evidence the nation is still searching for what it is meant to be.

During his inaugural address in 2021, former President Joe Biden said: “We look ahead in our uniquely American way—restless, bold, optimistic—and set our sights on the nation we know we can be and must be.”

Four years later, President Donald Trump painted this vision of the U.S. at his inauguration: “The golden age of America begins right now. From this day forward, our country will flourish and be respected again all over the world.”

The question is not whether America can lead, but what kind of leadership it aims to provide. Where is the nation headed? What type of leadership should we offer the world? What standard should guide us?

Current efforts to redefine America’s role are sincere—and in many ways necessary. Every presidential administration seeks a better way forward. Yet no political realignment can fully resolve the deeper challenge: the nation is still unsure of what it should be.

As a people, we cannot agree on what we should become. Proverbs 29:18 sums up the problem: “Where there is no vision, the people perish…”

America does not lack resources. It does not lack innovation or talent. What it lacks is a unified vision.

Before America can fulfill its potential, it must take an honest look at itself—its values, its direction, its character. It needs a mirror that reveals more than strength or prosperity. It needs one that reflects who we truly are.

The Bible is that mirror. It does not flatter. It does not condemn without cause. It shows both the heights a nation can reach and the dangers of turning from what is right.

So when we hold that mirror up to America, what do we see? What should we see?

God’s Mirror for Nations

The New Testament book of James likens God’s Word to a mirror that shows individuals their true likeness and character (1:23-24). It reveals where they are doing well and where they are falling behind.

Beyond individuals, the Bible lays out laws, principles, standards and cautionary tales to help whole societies see themselves. The clearest example is ancient Israel.

In I Corinthians 10, the apostle Paul explains that Israel’s national journey serves as a lesson for us all: “Now all these things happened unto them [Israel] for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition…” (vs. 11).

Ancient Israel was chosen by God to be a model nation—a living example of what His Way produces when practiced at the national level. If they faithfully followed God’s laws, they would reflect righteousness to the world.

To guide them, God gave detailed moral, civil, social and economic instructions—promising blessings for obedience and consequences for rebellion.

He laid out the terms in Deuteronomy 4:6: “Keep therefore and do them; for this is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the nations, which shall hear all these statutes, and say, Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.”

According to Scripture, a truly great nation is one that has…

• Righteous leadership: Those who fear God, are men of truth and hate covetousness (Ex. 18:21).
• Economic integrity: Fairness in business—honest measures, honest dealings (Lev. 19:35-36).
• Equal justice: Treating rich and poor alike under the law (Deut. 1:17).
• Compassion with accountability: Just treatment for outsiders who also uphold the law (Lev. 19:34; Ex. 12:49).

In addition, God’s vision for a great nation is that it would be a positive moral influence to the entire world (Isa. 49:6).

God’s principles do not change. The same laws that could have elevated ancient Israel apply to any nation today.

Measuring how well America reflects biblical principles starts by examining its history.

Reflections from the Past

The Bible has always been part of America’s story. Even before the first U.S. President, George Washington, placed his hand on a copy to take the oath of office, Scripture shaped many of the ideals the nation claimed to uphold. Many who first came to the New World did so in an attempt to live the Bible more freely.

But ideals alone are not outcomes. And every era of U.S. history shows something different in the mirror.

Sometimes, America’s reflection has caught glimpses of biblical principles. At other times, the image has been distorted—clouded by pride, self-interest or forgetfulness of God’s ways.

Before and after World War I, the United States tended toward isolationism. It avoided long-term alliances and focused on internal development. After the Great War, the U.S. refused to join the League of Nations, passed strict immigration laws and embraced a “leave us alone” posture.

This somewhat echoes the biblical principle that Israel was to remain separate from other nations to avoid moral compromise: “Take heed to yourself, lest you make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land whither you go, lest it be for a snare in the midst of you” (Ex. 34:12).

But separation alone is not righteousness. During this same period, the U.S. wrestled with racial injustice of the Jim Crow era, cultural hedonism in the Roaring Twenties, and the economic arrogance that contributed to the stock market crash of 1929.

Judges 21:25 sums up these actions: “Every man did that which was right in his own eyes.”

America did not need foreign entanglements to fall into sin—it managed that fine on its own.

World War II forced America onto the global stage. In its wake, the U.S. helped rebuild a broken world. The Marshall Plan alone sent more than $13 billion to aid Western Europe—about $175 billion in today’s dollars.

Other programs soon followed. The Truman Doctrine offered military and economic support to countries resisting communist influence. And the Point Four Program extended technical aid and investment to developing nations in Africa, Asia and Latin America.

The U.S. also played a key role in establishing the United Nations, the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank—institutions designed to stabilize global systems and prevent future conflict.

This outpouring of support aligned with Proverbs 3:27, which says to help when it is in your power to do so. Yet America’s aid was not entirely altruistic. For example, the Marshall Plan opened European markets to American goods, and much of the aid ended up flowing back to U.S. industries.

In the decades that followed, America adopted a new role: global policeman. Even more determined to stop the spread of communism, it used its military, economic and intelligence power to shape events around the world—sometimes openly, sometimes in secret.

In the 1950s, this included CIA-backed coups in Iran and Guatemala, where elected leaders were removed and replaced with regimes more aligned with American interests. Elsewhere, the U.S. backed authoritarian governments that fit its strategic needs—even when those governments were unjust, oppressive or corrupt.

The prophet Isaiah condemned such thinking: “Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!…Which justify the wicked for reward…” (5:20-23).

In trying to resist one form of evil, America often aligned with another.

Henry Kissinger, one of the U.S. architects of Cold War policy, put it bluntly: “A country that demands moral perfection in its foreign policy will achieve neither perfection nor security.”

During this time, the world saw America’s strength, but many questioned its morality.

Cultural Power, Moral Drift

Following the Cold War—and especially after the attacks of September 11, 2001—America stepped back into an assertive global role. The War on Terror led to prolonged military campaigns and ambitious attempts to spread democracy in the Middle East.

But time wore down resolve. As casualties mounted and objectives blurred, the national appetite for military intervention dwindled.

In light of this, U.S. influence tended to be softer, but no less strategic. While American media and ideals had long reached global audiences, recent decades have seen leaders increasingly use this “soft power” as a deliberate extension of foreign policy.

Under Presidents Obama and Biden, cultural diplomacy—through music, education and shared values—was emphasized to restore strained alliances and reassert America’s influence abroad.

But what values were actually being spread?

Freedom, yes—but also unrestrained self-expression. Opportunity, but also materialism. Alongside innovation and creativity came the export of sexual immorality and moral ambiguity.

The prophet Jeremiah asks this of a nation in moral decline: “Are they ashamed of their disgusting actions? Not at all—they don’t even know how to blush!” (Jer. 6:15, New Living Translation).

A striking image. And one that feels uncomfortably familiar today.

Political leaders from both parties have long invoked the idea of America as a “city on a hill”—a nation meant to inspire the world. The phrase itself is drawn from Jesus Christ’s words in Matthew 5:14: “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid.”

But what kind of light has America been shining?

The United States has wielded immense cultural influence. But without God’s truth shaping that power, the result has been confusion and sin. “American values” have too often spread moral fog rather than clarity.

Recently, U.S. foreign policy has toggled between soft power and a more transactional approach—one that prioritizes economic gain and political leverage over moral principle.

Under President Trump, this mindset has become more explicit. Retired Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg, Washington’s current special envoy to Ukraine and Russia, explained that the administration “approaches diplomacy and engages in a very transactional manner, with economics as the foundation and driving force behind international affairs.”

Fiscal stewardship is a biblical value. But so is generosity.

Deuteronomy 15:7-8 states: “If there be among you a poor man of one of your brethren…you shall not harden your heart…But you shall open your hand wide unto him, and shall surely lend him sufficient for his need, in that which he wants.”

In recent years, U.S. humanitarian aid has often come with more strings attached—concessions for military access, political alignment or fiscal reimbursement. Foreign assistance has been used to overtly pressure countries at the United Nations. Sanctions have sometimes served economic gain more than moral principle.

Whether it comes dressed as soft diplomacy or disguised as dealmaking, such tactics reflect power—but not principle. And when a nation no longer sees the difference, the Bible’s mirror is more needed than ever.

A Fractured Reflection

As we look at America today, what do we see? A country of unmatched wealth and power. A people with noble ideals and global reach. And yet…the reflection is fractured.

As 2024 ended, only 19 percent of Americans believed the country was heading in the right direction, according to Gallup. A 2023 Wall Street Journal/NORC poll reported that just 38 percent of Americans considered patriotism “very important,” a significant decline from 70 percent in 1998. The same study noted that religion and community involvement, once considered foundational, are in sharp decline among younger generations.

​Such uncertainty extends globally. Allies question what America stands for. Adversaries look to exploit the contradictions.

And yet, the blessings America has enjoyed are undeniable. No other nation has received the kind of prosperity, stability and influence the United States has enjoyed. This did not happen by accident.

Scripture speaks of nations specially blessed by God—not for their own sake, but to be a blessing to others (Gen. 12:2-3).

The United States has fulfilled that role in many ways: helping rebuild after war, supporting the vulnerable and exporting opportunity and innovation. For more on what the Bible says about America’s roots and blessings, read David C. Pack’s book {%503}.

But such blessings always come with conditions: righteousness and obedience. When God’s standards are set aside—when prosperity becomes entitlement and influence becomes self-interest—God is clear about the outcome: “It shall come to pass, if you will not hearken [to God’s laws]…curses shall come upon you…” (Deut. 28:15).

A New Testament principle also applies: To whom much is given, much is required (Luke 12:48).

Is it any wonder the U.S. now finds itself beset by impossible problems?

What God Desires

America’s reflection is sobering—but it is not hopeless.

The Bible does more than hold up a mirror to nations. It also reveals the true source of lasting government, justice and peace on Earth. That source is not Washington, Brussels, Beijing or any human system. It is the coming world-ruling Kingdom of God.

Psalm 33:12 pointed to this long ago: “Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord; and the people whom He has chosen for His own inheritance.”

No nation today meets that description. The United States has been divinely blessed, but it has not steadfastly obeyed the God of the Bible.

That day lies ahead. To learn more about the coming Kingdom and the Bible proof for it, read our booklet {@670}Which Is the True Gospel?{/@}

Even as nations falter, individuals still have a choice. You can begin to live by God’s standards now. That is where hope begins.

Paul wrote: “For our conversation [citizenship] is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ” (Phil. 3:20).

If your citizenship is in heaven, then your priorities, loyalty and values come from there as well. That changes everything—from how you see leadership and power, to how you treat others, to what you ultimately hope for in life.

This is what Jesus Christ meant when He said this in Matthew 6:33: “Seek you first the Kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”

To seek God’s Kingdom first is not to totally withdraw yourself from the world—but to rise above it. It is to reflect godly priorities in a culture that rejects them. It is to begin living now according to the way of life that will soon govern the entire Earth.

Make no mistake: No modern nation will, on its own, live up to God’s model. But individuals can strive to reflect it in their lives today.

You can choose clarity in a time of confusion. Righteous­ness in a time of comprom­ise. Pur­­pose in a time of spiritual drift.

The Bible is your mirror. Let it show you not only where America stands—but what God is doing. And begin now to live as a citizen of the Kingdom that is coming soon.