Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, the people he chose for his inheritance. 13 From heaven the LORD looks down and sees all mankind; 14 from his dwelling place he watches all who live on earth--15 he who forms the hearts of all, who considers everything they do. 16 No king is saved by the size of his army; no warrior escapes by his great strength. 17 A horse is a vain hope for deliverance; despite all its great strength it cannot save. 18 But the eyes of the LORD are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love, 19 to deliver them from death and keep them alive in famine.

When this Psalm was written Israel was the political nation that belonged to God. It was however, his spiritual nation as well. They were his people in every sense of the word. Today, the people of God (his nation) are his church. As the people of God, we belong to him and are under his control. We must depend on him and his ways for his church to be victorious in this world of sin. As the church of God we must follow his will and seek to reach the lost with the gospel. We are to serve as a constant encouragement to one another as we strive to live above the world that is in rebellion to him.

While we understand that this political nation in which we live is not the chosen people of God, we also know that God has blessed us to become great in this world. This country was founded on the principles of recognizing and serving God and accepting Jesus as the Son of God. In that sense we have always been considered as a “Christian” nation. Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord. This statement is still true. While it was originally said of Israel, it was true then of all nations and still is true today.

What can we, as God’s people, do to help bring our nation back to some of the founding principles concerning God? The most effective thing each of us can do is to live as God has taught us. This means first in our own lives and then sharing the gospel with others around us. This requires that we put God ahead of our personal feelings, any political agenda, our own pleasurable activities and anything else that would hinder our allegiance to him. Along with this we must continue to pray for our leaders on all levels. Remember, God is in control. He always has been and always will be.

Lord God, please forgive me for being so short-sighted in my life. Help me to look beyond this world and see you in eternity and then live in such a way to be ready to approach your great throne. I thank you for your Son who makes this my hope and not just a dream or wishful thinking. Give me strength to stand against the world and its influence that would drag me down. Help me to reach new spiritual heights in Jesus. In his name I pray.

May God bless each of us as we put him first in our lives today.