A truly blessed nation
For U.S. citizens, July 4 is a special day recognizing the founding of our nation.
- The Declaration of Independence established the concept.
- The winning of the Revolutionary War established the nation.
- The Constitution of the United States established the government.
- July 4 is celebrated as our birthday.
Governments are a human organization. They exist for the benefit of the people. In fact, as the Bible points out, governments are established by God (Romans 13:1-7). In Old Testament times, there was a nation that was very special to God, and he made specific promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the patriarchs of Israel. One very special promise was that the Savior would be born from them. In connection with his promise, God made the Israelites a nation.
Psalm 33 celebrates this special connection. We aren’t told when this Psalm was written, whether it is celebrating one or many of the victories of David or marking a later deliverance when one of David’s descendants was ruling. The truth expressed in our verse is still true: “Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people he chose for his inheritance.”
Even though our country doesn’t have the special relationship with God that Israel has, the verse does relate an important truth: the fact that Jesus came to fulfill those promises. The victories over sin, death, and the devil that Jesus delivered are the blessings we enjoy by faith. We, as his own, are among the people he has chosen as his inheritance.
What makes a nation great? When its citizens realize that the blessings, they enjoy are the result of God’s doing.
As citizens of heaven, we have the privilege of reflecting our heavenly citizenship in our lives as citizens of an earthly kingdom. That is a truly blessed nation.
Prayer: Lord, thank you for the many blessings you have given us in your creation. You established families and nations. Thank you for establishing our country. Lord, continue to keep our nation in your care and bless us with the desire and will to be good citizens who reflect our true citizenship. Amen.