How To Avoid A National Crisis
“They defiled themselves by what they did; by their deeds they prostituted themselves.”
Psalm 106:39 (NIV)
While Psalm 105 was a summary of God’s goodness and faithfulness, Psalm 106 is a summary of a nation’s sinfulness. It describes the condition of a nation before it collapses. It serves as a warning that we may avoid the same national crisis that Israel faced when they forgot God, the God who had delivered them and blessed them. In verse 39, the Psalmist records the final indictment against the nation. He writes, “They defiled themselves by what they did; by their deeds they prostituted themselves.” In response, the Bible says, “Therefore the LORD was angry with His people and abhorred His inheritance. He gave them into the hands of the nations, and their foes ruled over them.” Psalm 106:40-41 (NIV) What a tragic end to a nation with so much promise and privilege! But this would not be their final chapter.
This is such a powerful Psalm for our nation today. We have been blessed by God to be a blessing, yet how often have we committed actions that have defiled us and prostituted ourselves to a godless culture? We say we are one nation under God but too often act as a nation without God. When Israel abandoned God, He gave them up to the nations around them, whose cultures they had prostituted themselves with and whose sin they had embraced. They were treated with cruelty and oppression until they cried out to God. Psalm 106:44-45 (NLT) describes the mercy of God when the Psalmist says, “Even so, He (God) pitied them in their distress and listened to their cries. He remembered His covenant with them and relented because of His unfailing love.”
God is faithful even when we are faithless. He will never forget His promise to us. Historically, revivals often follow the most desperate of times, after people have corrupted their culture by defiling themselves, when evil seems to have won the day, and darkness reigns. Yet the promise of 2 Chronicles 7:14 (NIV) remains. “If My people, who are called by My name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” Notice who God is addressing in this promise – “My people”; those “…who are called by My name….” Repentance must begin in the household of faith. We must turn from our sin and turn our hearts back to God. When we do, we have the assurance He will hear our prayer, forgive our sin, and heal our land.
This is a promise not only to Israel but to our nation today. Jeremiah underscores this promise to all nations in Jeremiah 18:7-10 (NIV), where he records God saying, “If at any time I announce that a nation or kingdom is to be uprooted, torn down and destroyed, and if that nation I warned repents of its evil, then I will relent and not inflict on it the disaster I had planned. And if at another time I announce that a nation or kingdom is to be built up and planted, and if it does evil in My sight and does not obey Me, then I will reconsider the good I had intended to do for it.”
May the prayer of Psalm 106:47 (NIV) be our prayer today as we conclude this study, “Save us, LORD our God, and gather us from the nations, that we may give thanks to Your holy name and glory in Your praise.”
Another important part of your daily devotional is spending time with God in prayer. The Woodlands Church Prayer Board lists prayer requests submitted by our members and provides a way to send them some encouragement by using a button on the page to let them know that you prayed for them. Whether you use the Prayer Board, or pray from your heart, the goal is to build the habit of incorporating prayer into your quiet time.
Need prayer yourself? Let us know by submitting a prayer request on the Woodlands Church Prayer Board.