Scripture Passage: Proverbs 14:34

This week we will celebrate Independence Day. We are blessed as a nation.
Take a few moments to consider God’s blessing on us as a nation and then pray for our country.

Proverbs 14:34: ”Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any people.”
The essence of this verse is that the same God who blesses nations can also remove His blessing.

Throughout history nations have risen and fallen. Job 12:23 reminds us that God, “makes nations great, then destroys them; he enlarges nations, then leads them away.”

America is not perfect, but God has richly blessed us.

What are some ways that we have taken God’s blessing for our country for granted?

Righteousness exalts a nation
This does not mean all are righteous nor every leader is righteous. Righteousness refers to moral integrity, practicing justice, understanding and acting on what is right.
Practically, the presence of righteous people in a nation can make such a huge impact.
You cannot separate righteousness and liberty. Any time a people are unrighteous, they are in danger of losing their liberties.

Psalm 33:12: “Happy is the nation whose God is the Lord—the people he has chosen to be his own possession!”

Sin brings down a nation
Psalm 33:10: “The Lord frustrates the counsel of the nations; he thwarts the plans of the peoples.”

Sin is contagious. It affects a person, a home, a nation. Without blessing from God, a nation is on shaky ground.

Discuss the poor substitutes for Divine Blessing found in Psalm 33. . .
• More knowledge: “brings the counsel of the nations to nothing”
• Great strategy: “He thwarts the plans of the peoples.”
• Stronger defense: “A king is not saved by a large army…”

Discuss some of the ways our country has moved from God’s righteousness, i.e. immigration issues, slavery, discrimination, and abortion.

Repentance Restores a Nation
If America is to be great, the source of her greatness will rest in only one place. And if America has lost her greatness, it will be restored in only one way.

2 Chronicles 7:13-14 “If I shut the sky so there is no rain, or if I command the grasshopper to consume the land, or if I send pestilence on my people, 14 and my people, who bear my name, humble themselves, pray and seek my face, and turn from their evil ways, then I will hear from heaven, forgive their sin, and heal their land.”

If we cry out to God, if we seek His face, then we have every reason to hope that our children and their children can reap the blessings of God as we have.

• Offer prayers of confession to God in some of the ways we have fallen short as a people. • Ask for God’s wisdom for our leaders.
• Ask for the Holy Spirit of God to refresh His people.