Current Lessons
Lesson No. Forty-Six

An Accidental Super Power or a Mighty Nation the Lord Raised Up

The Accidental Super Power is the name of a book written by Peter Zeihan who is an American geopolitical analyst. (All citations unless otherwise noted are from this book) Zeihan uses the word “Accidental” to suggest the United States became super power by chance or accident. It was not planned or expected. Zeihan believes the United States is a super power because of a happy accident brought about by good topography, soil quality, climate, and especially water.

Water – “The Mississippi is the world’s longest navigable river….And the Mississippi is only one of twelve major navigable American rivers. Collectively, all of America’s temperate-zone rivers are 14,650 miles long. China and Germany each have about 2,000 miles. France about 1,000. The entirety of the Arab world has but 120.”

Barrier islands – “The Americans benefit from a geographic feature that exists in few other places on the planet, nowhere else in such useful arrangements: barrier islands. Chains of these low, flat, long islands parallel the American mainland for over three-quarters of the Gulf and East Coasts… The net effect of this Intracoastal Waterway is the equivalent of having a 3,000 mile long river.”

The American river system is a network – The Mississippi has six major navigable tributaries, most of which have several of their own. The greater Mississippi system empties into the Gulf of Mexico at a point where ships have direct access to the barrier island/Intracoastal system. All told this Mississippi and Intracoastal system accounts for 15,500 of the United States’ 17,600 miles of internal waterways….a greater length of internal waterways than the rest of the planet combined.”

American land – “The majority of the Lower 48 is within the temperate climate zone – warm enough for people to live and crops to grow, cool enough to limit populations of deadly, disease-carrying insects….Even better most of that usable territory is in a single, easily digestible chuck. The greater Midwest is absolutely massive: With 139million hector acres under till, it is the largest contiguous stretch of high-quality farmland in the world….Like America’s waterways, America’s lands would make the United States a global superpower on their own. But the value and importance of those lands increase exponentially when one considers that they overlap America’s world-best waterways almost perfectly.”

Shale oil and energy independence – In the US private property rights give land owners a vested interest in shale production. Nothing like this exists in an oil field anywhere else in the world. “Nothing else in the world matches the Permian Basin, a single, sprawling oil complex covering west Texas and east New Mexico, that now produces more oil than all countries except Saudi Arabia and Russia. The shale revolution will not go global.” Horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracking, “with only two decades under its belt, shale is only beginning to reshape….everything.”

A Mighty Nation the Lord Raised Up – I agree with Zeihan on about the amazing geography and the many natural and inherent advantages the United States has that are found no where else in all the world. However, because of my testimony of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ I am certain that these blessings were not an accident. The Lord chose this land, and therefore it is a promised and choice land. Consider what we know about this from latter day scriptures and latter day prophets:

Jaredites – “And the Lord would not suffer that they should stop beyond the sea in the wilderness, but he would that they should come forth even unto the land of promise, which was choice above all other lands, which the Lord God had preserved for a righteous people…Behold, this is a choice land, and whatsoever nation shall possess it shall be free from bondage, and from captivity, and from all other nations under heaven, if they will but serve the God of the land, who is Jesus Christ, who hath been manifested by the things which we have written” (Ether 2:7,12).

Nephites – “The time cometh that after the house of Israel have been scattered and confounded, that the Lord God will raise up a mighty nation among the Gentiles yea, even upon the face of this land; and by them shall our seed be scattered. And after our seed is scattered the Lord God will proceed to do a marvelous work among the Gentiles..” (1 Ne 22:7-8, emphasis mine). The United States is the only country in North or South America that could be considered a “mighty nation”.

From what Jesus taught the Nephites the restoration of His gospel could be considered a “play” written by the Father long in advance, and the setting for this “play” is in the United States – “For it is wisdom in the Father that they (latter-day gentiles) should be established in this land (the United States), and be set up as a free people by the power of the Father, that these things (the Book of Mormon as an important part of the latter day restoration) might come forth from them (latter-day gentiles) unto a remnant of your seed (latter-day Lamanites), that the covenant of the Father (made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob) may be fulfilled which he hath covenanted with his people, O house of Israel” (3 Nephi 21:4, parentheses mine).

The establishment of the United States, which is prologue to the ongoing Restoration, was also orchestrated by God long in advance – The Book of Mormon makes it clear that Columbus, the pilgrims, and multitudes of immigrants were brought to America by the Spirit of God; that they prospered and “humbled themselves before the Lord; and the power of the Lord was with them”; that the Lord was also with the colonists in the Revolutionary War, and they “were delivered by the power of God out of the hands of all other nations” (I Nephi 13:12-19). Latter day revelation also makes it clear that the Lord “established the Constitution of this land, by the hands of wise men whom I raised up unto this very purpose” (D&C 101:80).

“The Church and America” is the name of a sermon given by Elder Mark E. Petersen during Vietnam War. This sermon was printed in booklet form and was made available by the First Presidency to each member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints serving in the Armed Forces of the United States. I received my copy in 1970 which I still read occasionally.

“The United States is God’s country” – Elder Petersen expounded on the Lord’s teachings recorded in 3 Nephi 21:4. (See my discussion on this verse as outlined above) He continued: “The United States then is God’s county. It is His government set up specifically to provide freedom of speech and religion in this country so that our Church could be established here and so that we, as the missionaries of the Church may travel the world over on American passports and have the protection of this great government as we preach the gospel to the world….” I experienced first hand as I served in the United States Air Force and traveled the world, what a blessing and an advantage it was to have a United States passport.

“I have always felt that the Stars and Stripes, our glorious flag, is God’s own banner because it represents His country. This is the one nation in all the world which He acknowledges was set up by His own hand. I don’t know of any other country in all the world, in any period of the world’s history which God set up as a nation and for which He actually raised up men to write its constitution. So ours is a glorious country. It has a sacred destiny. It is closely related to the Church. That is why, as you go out, you not only represent the United States, but you represent the Church and you represent this great principle that God has set up this country to provide the means whereby we may take the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ to all the world.”

Testimony – The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is now a great worldwide Church, and our leaders today do not emphasize what Elder Petersen taught. But I am certain they believe what he taught is true. I also believe the United States is the mighty nation the Lord has raised up.

Released on March 1st. 2025.