"Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord and the people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance." - Psalm 33:12
What does this verse mean to you? First, we need to look at what it means to be “blessed.” After looking at various online dictionaries, I have found that to be blessed is to be held in reverence, to be honored, to be made holy, to be endowed with divine favor, to have a sacred nature, or to be consecrated and sanctified. Does that sound like the nation that we live in today? Does that sound like any of the people of this nation? And another thing, if the Lord is our God, and if we are blessed, would it not be safe to say that we are a happy people or a happy nation?
"Happy is that people, that is in such a case: yea, happy is that people, whose God is the Lord." -Psalm 144:15
So, what is wrong with us? What is wrong with our society? What is wrong with our nation today? In general, our nation does not acknowledge God as Lord. The phrase “In God We Trust” may be plastered on paper (money), monuments, and plaques, but the almighty dollar is king. The ideology of self takes precedence in this nation and across this world.
Are the professing Christians serving God as their Lord?
If we were to take a good look at Christianity as a whole, then that in itself could be considered a nation. Generally speaking, are the professing Christians serving God as their Lord? How many Christian ministries on television are in it for the money? What about the multitude of denominations and so-called Christian groups that are too busy with programs and procedures, but how many are actually working for the Lord, trying to point the lost to Christ?
"For the love of money is the root of all evil: while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith and pierced themselves through with many sorrows." - 1 Timothy 6:10,
Although the common supposition is that many people believe that money can bring happiness, this is contrary to God’s Word. Countless wealthy people crave even more riches and wind up in a cycle of self-rule and destruction that never seems to end. Just because someone is rich, does that mean that they are also blessed? In the eyes of the world, maybe. But what is happening in their spiritual life? Has fame and fortune become their idols?
Is the Lord our source of contentment?
Why is it that a majority of people still cannot grasp the concept of contentment? Paul tells us that he had learned to be content in whatever state that he was in (Philippians 4:11-13). How did he do that? He learned to draw upon the power of Christ for his strength in whatever situation he faced. Often, we have needs, but our discontent rises because we do not have what we want. We need to learn to rely on the power of Christ and the promises of God to help us be content. Maybe we need to learn to ask the Lord to help remove the desire to want more and teach us to be content in what we have, for we know He will supply our needs (Philippians 4:19).
Hebrews 13:5 tells us that we should be content with what we have. Maybe we should learn to live with a lot less than what we have. And what does the love of money and contentment have to do with being blessed? It all boils down to whom we are serving, God or man, and that we should not love the things of this world (Matthew 6:24; 1 John 2:15).
"And if it seems evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." - Joshua 24:15
Will a nation that worships God receive His blessings?
I believe that a nation that worships God will receive blessings. If and when a nation recognizes and honors God, it could experience peace and prosperity. But that does not necessarily mean being prosperous in a financial sense. Too much worldly prosperity begins to make us less dependent upon God (Mark 10:21-23). Being obedient to God is more important than prosperity (Psalm 119:36). Prosperity cannot provide safety (Proverbs 18:11), and it can tempt us into sacrificing our integrity (Proverbs 19:1).
If we were to look at our nation today, what do we see? There is a rampant influx of drugs that damages our bodies. Immorality devastates our families—crime tears at our cities and communities. Secular humanism wrecks our schools. Sodomites destroy the moral fiber of our society. Worldliness has invaded our churches.
If God judged Sodom, Gomorrah, Trye, Babylon, and many others, do you not think that God will judge this nation? Our nation needs to turn from its wicked ways. Instead of the church influencing the world, the church has allowed the world to influence the church. 2 Timothy 3:1-9 tells us of the difficult times for Christian service and how the last days will be characterized by sinfulness. Can we not see it?
How can a nation turn to God if the person does not turn to God?
"The wicked shall be turned into hell and all the nations that forget God." - Psalm 9:17
What did the Lord say about His people in the following few verses?
"Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine: And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel." - Exodus 19:5-6
"For thou art a holy people unto the Lord thy God: the Lord thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto himself, above all people that are upon the face of the earth." - Deuteronomy 7:6
"If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land." - 2 Chronicles 7:14
"But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light." - 1 Peter 2:9
How hard is it to obey God and keep His commandments when we have accepted Christ as our personal Lord and Savior? We are to be holy people. Yet when Christians fail in their sacred duty and allow the world to overshadow them, they become ineffective in their Christian walk, which is what the devil wants.
Our relationship with the Lord is so much more important than the type of job that we may have, the amount of money that may be in our bank accounts, whatever success we may have by the world’s standards, or even how much knowledge we may hold. God chose us as His own, and we have been appointed to represent Him to the world. Have we done that? Are we now doing that? If not, then why not? What is holding you back from being the witness that the Lord wants you to be? How can we expect to be a blessed nation or a blessed people when we have not kept God first in our lives?
Photo Credit: ©Getty Images/George Muresan
