He Will Never Fail You

O God, pagan nations have conquered your land, your special possession. They have defiled your holy Temple and made Jerusalem a heap of ruins. They have left the bodies of your servants as food for the birds of heaven. The flesh of your godly ones has become food for the wild animals. Blood has flowed like water all around Jerusalem; no one is left to bury the dead. We are mocked by our neighbors, an object of scorn and derision to those around us. O Lord, how long will you be angry with us? Forever? How long will your jealousy burn like fire? Pour out your wrath on the nations that refuse to acknowledge you” on kingdoms that do not call upon your name. For they have devoured your people Israel, making the land a desolate wilderness. Do not hold us guilty for the sins of our ancestors! Let your compassion quickly meet our needs, for we are on the brink of despair. Help us, O God of our salvation! Help us for the glory of your name. Save us and forgive our sins for the honor of your name. Why should pagan nations be allowed to scoff, asking, Where is their God? Show us your vengeance against the nations, for they have spilled the blood of your servants. Listen to the moaning of the prisoners. Demonstrate your great power by saving those condemned to die. O Lord, pay back our neighbors seven times for the scorn they have hurled at you. Then we your people, the sheep of your pasture, will thank you forever and ever, praising your greatness from generation to generation. ­Psalms ­79:1-13 ­NLT

The psalmist had witnessed the rebellion of the people of Israel and the corresponding consequences that followed. The nation that once had the favor of God was now a mockery to the nations. God had allowed enemy forces to invade their land, pillage and plunder it, and desecrate the sacred place of worship. The enemy army killed many of the people and the left the lives of those who remained in shambles. What was once a bustling society filled with the songs of the Most High was now a land of mourning. Things were not the same as they once had been. The psalmist laments as he observes the situation and cries out to God for deliverance. His prayer was based upon the honor of God's name. Surely the nation deserved judgment but the psalmist calls upon God because he knew that the only hope the nation had was in the merciful hands of God! He concluded with a declaration of thanksgiving that would rise from the nation, once again, if God would, one more time, bring them out of this state of defeat.  I can't help but think about our own nation in this Psalm. If we ever deserved judgment it is now. People parade our city streets in lewd, deviant defiance and mock our Lord. The churches that were once a beacon of light to the nation are now advocates of the darkness. Sin runs rampant like sewer in our streets. Our halls of government are corrupted by wicked men and women who are bent on expelling God from every facet of our nation. The news casts are propaganda, at best.  Judgment looms over us like a black cloud. We are on the verge of collapse and many are ignoring the tremors of the earthquake that is building. We are a fractured nation and we are sitting upon a major fault line just waiting for the earth to open itself and swallow us like many nations before us. America has enjoyed the blessing of God like no other nation on earth and yet we have turned our backs on the One who has bestowed such blessings upon us. Somehow, we think we don't need God to be successful and we have allowed the devil to deceive us into believing that we will not be like the nations before us. Utter foolishness!! Those who do not learn from history only repeat it. God's people must pray, turn from their wicked ways, and beseech God for the land (see 2 Chronicles 7:14). Otherwise, we are headed for disaster. We must wake up and diligently work while the day is upon us. Night time will come and only God knows how close we are to the sunset. Today, in the midst of your busyness, take the time to contemplate the critical state of this land and humble yourself before Almighty God in intercessory prayer for the mercy of God upon us. Our posterity is dependent upon it. If you care one iota about God your family, and this nation, I beg of you to let God search your heart and life and ask Him to set things right. Let Him begin the restoration of our nation with you. We cannot expect things to change if we are, indeed, a part of the problem. Judgment begins in the church! For the time has come for judgment, and it must begin with God's household. And if judgment begins with us, what terrible fate awaits those who have never obeyed God's Good News? And also, If the righteous are barely saved, what will happen to godless sinners? So if you are suffering in a manner that pleases God, keep on doing what is right, and trust your lives to the God who created you, for he will never fail you. ­1 Peter ­4:17-19 ­NLT