Two Girls at Play: Our Daily Bread Designs Bible Verse Thursday Challenge #36

"Blessed is the Nation whose God is the Lord."

~Psalm 33:12

I think that most - if not all of us - would agree that our Nation has been blessed. We have been blessed materially, geographically, educationally, and technologically.

As we celebrate the birth of our Nation this week, we need to be Thankful to the Lord and seek Him for his continual blessings in the future.

Today, we are reminded again (as young men and women have died in Iraq, Afghanistan, and other places around the globe), that our Freedom comes with a high price. Men and women throughout the history of our Country have given their lives to make this country what it is - for our Independence!

It was this way from the beginning - out of the 56 who signed the Declaration of Independence:
- 5 were captured and tortured by the British before they died.
- 12 had their homes ransacked and burned to the ground.
- 2 lost their sons in the war.
- 1 had two sons captured.
- 9 fought and died from wounds or the hardships of war.
- Carter Braxton of Virginia, a wealthy planter and trader, saw his ships swept from the seas by the British Navy. He sold his home to pay his debts died poor.
- Thomas McKean was forced to move his family almost constantly because he was so hounded by the British. He served in Congress without pay and died in poverty.
- Thomas Nelson’s home was seized by the British at the Battle of Yorktown and used as a command post. He urged Gen. George Washington to open fire on it. The home was destroyed and Nelson died bankrupt.

Scripture is not silent about Nations. We learn that God is greater than all Nations. That Nations come and go, that God uses Nations as part of His plans, and that people from all Nations will be part of His Kingdom.

Perhaps as we celebrate this Independence Day, we ought to consider that real dangers of our Blessings with God are not from external conflicts and challenges (like the terrorism), but are internal ones.

God’s Word teaches us specifically what a Nation is to do in order to receive and continue in the Blessings of God.

Blessed is the Nation is "whose God is the Lord." vs.12
- As we read this passage we see very clearly what it means to be a Nation whose God is the Lord:
- Vs. 1-3; A People who acknowledge and Worship the Living the Lord.
- Vs. 4, 6; A people who seek to know and do what the Word of God calls them to do.
- Vs. 8; A People who FEAR the Lord and show Him reverence.
- Vs. 10-11; A People who seek the Lord’s plans, not their own.
- Vs. 13-15; A People who know that they are accountable to the Lord - He watches them and considers everything they do.

To be a Nation whose God is the Lord, we must be People who reject all false gods in our country today, the gods of material wealth, worldly pleasure, worldly approval, physical appearance, power and influence.

Blessed is the Nation that seeks Righteousness
Prov. 14:34; "Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people."
Is. 60:12; "The nations and kingdoms which will not serve the Lord will perish, they will be utterly ruined."

Righteousness is about doing what is Right, not sinning - it is about serving the Lord. That is why we have to pray for our leaders that they will serve the Lord and do what is Right; because it is God’s way andnot just politically correct. It is about doing what is Right within our country as well as our dealings around the world with other countries.

Blessed is the Nation that Trusts in God. "In Him our hearts rejoice, for we TRUST in His Holy Name."

Psalm 20:6-7 (LB); "Some nations boast of armies and of weaponry, but our Boast is in the Lord our God. Those nations will collapse and perish; we will arise to stand firm and sure!"

What do we put our trust in as a Nation? Our Military? Our intelligence? Our technology? Our history? According to Scripture, Blessed is the Nation whose Trust is in the Lord. That Trust has to be more than a slogan on our currency. It has to be present dependence upon the Lord.

At the first Constitutional Convention, the delegates were frustrated due to the burdens of the hour. They were burdened and harassed by tremendous crisis. They were so fragmented that they were just about to throw out the whole concept of a constitution completely, then Benjamin Franklin rose to his feet and said:
"Gentlemen, if it is true that not one single petal from any flower falls to the ground without escaping God’s attention, will the distress of this nation go unheeded? Let us therefore determine to seek His face."

They promptly got down on their knees and when they arose from prayer, the slogan, e pluribus unum was born: One out of many!

We are called to Trust in the name of the Lord!

Your challenge this week is to create a project using this scripture or another verse that reminds us that we are One Nation Under God. When uploading your project, please use keyword ODBDBVT36 and then hop over to the Our Daily Bread Designs Forum to share your inspiration with us!