Characteristics of a Nation that God Will Bless
Part Two
July 5, 2026
Scripture: Psalm 33
Last week it was noted that God has blessed this nation because of the Scriptural moral foundation. The concern is we are forgetting and turning away from our core values that prompted God’s blessing. John Quincy Adams said, Our Constitution was made only for moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other. Adams believed that a government could not function effectively if the people lacked integrity and a sense of moral responsibility. He argued that laws and institutions alone cannot restrain human passions such as greed, ambition, or revenge without a foundation of morality and religion.
Our forefathers feared what would happen if Americans abandoned the moral principles that God’s word supplied. Proverbs 14:34 states, Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin condemns any people. Our forefathers were afraid that true freedom could not endure among people who lacked virtue, self-restraint, and moral conviction.
The early American Congress contained a fair number of religious men. Not all of them were Christians. Yet, they appointed chaplains for the House and Senate and for the Armed Forces. They sponsored the publication of Bibles. And they prayed at one point: make us holy, that we may be happy people (Congressional proclamation, Tuesday, March 19, 1782). The founding fathers of this nation believed that religion and morality were indispensable to the stability and legitimacy of the new republic. They understood Psalm 33:12. Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people he chose for his inheritance.
Psalm 33 gives us several key characteristics/instructions if a nation is going to be blessed by the Lord. Last week, we noted two characteristics if God will bless a nation. One from Psalm 33:1-3, the principle is: If the Lord is going to bless this nation, then the righteous, the Church, needs to have passion, excitement, and a heartfelt joyful desire to worship the Lord!!! Church, we need to have a passion to glorify the Lord in all things!
The second principle noted was from Psalm 33:4-7. If the Lord is going to bless this nation, know God’s word is true! Trust and obey His word! Live a righteous life!
The power of God’s word is seen in His creation. He spoke and it happened. His word, Scripture, gives wisdom and guidance on how to live an abundant life. For instance, it is right and true about how to have a successful marriage. It is right about how to raise children. It is right about money. It is right about the sinfulness of humankind. It is right about life and about death. The word of God is right and true in revealing who God Is and how we might personally know Him. The word of God is right and true about prophecy and its fulfillment. There is no book like the Bible. It is the manual for life given to us by our Creator.
So, a nation is blessed when there is obedience to God's laws and decrees. This obedience stems from a genuine commitment to live according to His will. So, the Lord is calling each of us to submit to His rule in our lives. We are to seek Him first. If people do, they shall be blessed (Matthew 6:33).
Sadly, since a humanistic philosophy has increased and Biblical literacy has declined, people do their own thing. They pursue what is right in their own eyes (Judges 17:6; 21:25; Proverbs 12:15), instead of doing what is right in the eyes of the Lord (Exodus 15:26; Deuteronomy 21:9; II Kings 10:30).
Today, I want to continue looking at Psalm 33. Picking up verse 8. Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all the people of the world revere him. The Psalmist again notes the importance of having a fear/a reverence for the Lord in verse 18, But the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love.
The psalmist calls all humankind to fear the Lord. All the inhabitants of the world should stand in awe and reverence of Almighty God.
Principle 3: If the Lord is going to bless this nation, then people need to have a fear/a reverence for the LORD!
People need to take to heart the words of Ecclesiastes 12:13, 14, Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the duty of all mankind. 14 For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil.
The Psalmist goes on to give the reasons why? One reason is noted in verse 9, For he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm. The Psalmist is referring to God’s creation. We are to reverence God for His great creation! All creation gives evidence to intelligent design. If the earth was a little closer to the sun, then we would all burn up. If the earth was a little farther away from the sun, then we would all freeze to death! Praise God and reverence His Holy Name, for He created it all and said that it was good!
The problem is as the Apostle Paul writes in Romans 1:18-20, The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness, 19 since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. 20 For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse. For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their reasonings, and their senseless hearts were darkened.
The Apostle Paul goes on in Romans 1 and notes that people who suppress the truth, have no fear of God turn to all kinds of evil. They do not honor the Lord, but develop silly, stupid ideas about God. They think they are right but become fools. They fall into all sorts of sexual sin including homosexuality. Then they become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice and the list goes on. Evil runs rampant.
Verses 10, 11 note a second reason why we should fear the Lord. The Lord brings the counsel of the nations to nothing; he frustrates the plans of the peoples. 11 The counsel of the Lord stands forever, the plans of his heart to all generations (ESV).
Humankind can make their plans and devise their schemes, but in the end, God is in control. We think things are happening only by the will of man instead of realizing that the events of this world are through the hand of God. He is sovereign. We are not. His plans, not our plans, will be carried out to all generations!
What the Lord has determined shall be done. He decided to raise up the Jewish people to reveal Himself and it happened. He determined that at a certain time He would manifest Himself in the flesh, and it was so. The Lord has given prophecies, and they have or will be fulfilled. Scripture states that one day the time of the Gentiles shall be fulfilled and the Lord will once again turn mercifully to the Jews.
Verses 13-15 gives a third reason to have a fear of God. 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.
The Lord sees and watches you! He sees everything that takes place. He knows every thought, every motivation, every word, every action. Now, if a parent is watching a child, the child is less likely to misbehave. A parent’s presence can enforce the rules, but a parent not watching can prompt misbehavior. So also, if we knew/believed Almighty God was watching each of us, we would be less likely to sin. We would have a reverence for Him and want to obey Him.
I personally believe a lack of fear towards God is a major issue in our society. People just don’t care about the ramifications. There is no fear of God’s wrath and judgment. Thomas Jefferson stated, Indeed, I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just.
Historically, the American identity has had reverence for the Almighty which has prompted good moral principles such as honesty, faith, family, hard work, personal responsibility, justice, humility and being helpful to others. We have lost these values in many ways. So many are driven by their sinful human passions. Again, as John Adams pointed out, We have no government armed with power capable of contending with human passions if they're not bridled by morality and religion. The Founders recognized that Christianity supplied the moral framework necessary for self-government.
Let me share with you some statistics that I came across from an article by Jonathan Abbamonte entitled, The Great Falling Away: The Decline in Religious Services Attendance in the United States Over the Past 50 Years. He notes that in 1975, about 35 percent of American adults attended religious services every week, nearly every week, or several times a week. By 2022, only 22 percent of Americans attended religious services at least once a week. In the past five decades, weekly and monthly attendance of religious services has declined significantly, while the share of Americans who never or rarely attend has doubled.
A study of the general population indicated that only 13% believe in all Ten Commandments; 40% believe in 5 of the Ten Commandments. Recently the American people were surveyed regarding the subject of honesty. The survey revealed that 91% of people lie regularly.
There has also been a major increase in the use of drugs. About 58% of Americans aged 12 and older used tobacco, nicotine vapes, alcohol, or an illicit drug in the past month. Roughly 1 in 4 young adults used illegal drugs this past year (Based on the 2024 National Survey on Drug Use and Health).
Retail and property theft has vastly increased over the past few years. The Federal Trade Commission noted 1,135,270 identity thefts in 2024, a 9.5% increase over 2023. Total fraud losses across all categories hit $12.5 billion, up 25% from the year before.
Since the 1960s and early 1970s, society has become broadly more accepting of divorce, sexual relations outside marriage, abortion, pornography, homosexuality, transgenderism, assisted suicide, gambling, and recreational drug use. All these activities are contrary to morals and religious traditions.
These are just a few areas of moral and religious decline. This moral and religious decline has weakened the nuclear family as moral relativism has vastly increased. To many Americans are making up their own rules, their own laws. They are following their sinful passions. They simply do not have a fear/reverence for Almighty God.
The Psalmist then goes on in verse 16-21, 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, to deliver them from death and keep them alive in famine. We wait in hope for the Lord; he is our help and our shield. 21 In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name.
Human strength and military power cannot secure victory or deliverance; only God’s providence ensures true protection and victory. David stated when facing Goliath, All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves; for the battle is the Lord’s, and he will give all of you into our hands (I Samuel 17:47).
Napoleon didn’t have his hope in the Lord as he said, God is on the side of the greatest battalion, but he demonstrated he was wrong, because at the Battle of Waterloo Napoleon had the greatest battalion and lost.
Now, repeatedly, Scripture indicates that leadership is critical as leaders can influence and even mandate what we do. Throughout the history of Israel, the Bible records numerous instances of leaders who turned away from God's commandments, leading the nation into sin and idolatry. These leaders played pivotal roles in the spiritual decline of Israel and Judah. The prophets spoke out against them warning about God’s judgment! For instance, King Ahab and his wife, Jezebel. Ahab's reign was marked by the promotion of Baal worship, directly opposing the worship of Yahweh. Jezebel was the one who urged him to do this. Of course, you probably remember the story of the prophet Elijah challenging the prophets of Baal. He challenged them to set up a sacrifice and the God who sent fire from heaven would be acknowledged as the true God.
In contrast those who have a fear of the Lord and wait in hope for the Lord will be delivered. For as leaders and each one of us express trust and dependence on God he will help and protect. Those who have hope in his unfailing love are recipients of His promise of life after death and meeting needs during a famine. We can take to heart that He is with us and be assured in eternal life in His Kingdom.
Let me share what studies have shown for those who frequently attend religious services are those who tend to grow in Christ, spiritually and emotionally. Jonathan Abbamonte according to his research writes,
Attendance at religious services is associated with lower mortality, greater longevity, lower rates of depression, lower risk of suicide, fewer deaths due to drug or alcohol abuse, higher self-esteem, and greater life-satisfaction. Frequent religious services also have family benefits for marital stability and marital satisfaction. The temporal benefits of religious practice are particularly pronounced if habitual attendance of religious services starts early in life. Adolescents who frequently attend religious services are significantly less likely to engage in illicit drug use, are less likely to engage in violence or commit a crime, are less likely to experience depressive symptoms, are more likely to volunteer and engage in forgiving others, have higher life satisfaction, are less likely to have early sexual initiation, and have fewer lifetime sexual partners and fewer sexually transmitted diseases than their peers who do not attend religious services.
And these are just the temporal benefits. Many people of faith will attest they derive many spiritual benefits from frequent attendance at religious services, including inner peace, inner strength, a greater sense of purpose and meaning, a stronger connection with their faith, a strengthening of a personal relationship with God, and fulfillment of their spiritual duty. (Jonathan Abbamonte, The Great Falling Away: The Decline in Religious Services Attendance in the United States Over the Past 50 Years).
Whatever the circumstances or trial, as we put our hope and trust in the Lord, He will give you strength from the inside through His Spirit to deal with the various issues of life.
Principle 4: If the Lord is going to bless this nation, then the leaders and the people need to put their hope and trust in the Lord!
Then in verse 22 the Psalmist prays, May your unfailing love be with us, Lord, even as we put our hope in you.
The Psalmist prays that God’s love and presence would be poured out as we put our hope in the Lord.
Here is the last principle. Principle 5: If the Lord is to bless this nation, then we need to pray! Ask for his unfailing love to work in your life and the life of this nation.
II Chronicles 7:14 stats, 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 will forgive their sin and will heal their land.
Since our nation has grown increasingly wicked and ungodly. As believers in Christ, it is critical for us to pray, to stand in the gap. I am not sure if the Lord is going to have another great awakening or we are simply drawing near to His return. Either way it is critical to pray. Prayer is the catalyst for revival. Every great revival started with a group of people praying. It is also critical as we are called to stand firm in Christ until His return. In Luke 18, after Jesus at the end of the parable about the persistent widow who cried out for justice, Jesus said this, However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth? In other words, will he find people praying and seeking Him? Remember prayer is an act of faith, an act of depending on the Lord.
Last week, I briefly shared Abraham Lincoln’s speech for the National Day of Prayer. Let me share a little bit more of this proclamation as he calls for people to set apart a day for National prayer and humiliation.
He stated, And whereas it is the duty of nations as well as of men, to own their dependence upon the overruling power of God, to confess their sins and transgressions, in humble sorrow, yet with assured hope that genuine repentance will lead to mercy and pardon; and to recognize the sublime truth, announced in the Holy Scriptures and proven by all history, that those nations only are blessed whose God is the Lord.
And, insomuch as we know that, by His divine law, nations like individuals are subjected to punishments and chastisements in this world, may we not justly fear that the awful calamity of civil war, which now desolates the land, may be but a punishment, inflicted upon us, for our presumptuous sins, to the needful end of our national reformation as a whole People? We have been the recipients of the choicest bounties of Heaven. We have been preserved, these many years, in peace and prosperity. We have grown in numbers, wealth and power, as no other nation has ever grown. But we have forgotten God. We have forgotten the gracious hand which preserved us in peace and multiplied and enriched and strengthened us; and we have vainly imagined, in the deceitfulness of our hearts, that all these blessings were produced by some superior wisdom and virtue of our own. Intoxicated with unbroken success, we have become too self-sufficient to feel the necessity of redeeming and preserving grace, too proud to pray to the God that made us! It behooves us then, to humble ourselves before the offended Power, to confess our national sins, and to pray for clemency and forgiveness.
Now, therefore, in compliance with the request, and fully concurring in the views of the Senate, I do, by this my proclamation, designate and set apart Thursday, the 30th. day of April, 1863, as a day of national humiliation, fasting and prayer. And I do hereby request all the People to abstain, on that day, from their ordinary secular pursuits, and to unite, at their several places of public worship and their respective homes, in keeping the day holy to the Lord, and devoted to the humble discharge of the religious duties proper to that solemn occasion.
All this being done, in sincerity and truth, let us then rest humbly in the hope authorized by the Divine teachings, that the united cry of the Nation will be heard on high, and answered with blessings, no less than the pardon of our national sins, and the restoration of our now divided and suffering Country, to its former happy condition of unity and peace.
Lincoln was most likely referring to Deuteronomy 8. Deuteronomy 8:6,7a, 10-14 states, Observe the commands of the Lord your God, walking in obedience to him and revering him. 7 For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land…10 When you have eaten and are satisfied, praise the Lord your God for the good land he has given you. 11 Be careful that you do not forget the Lord your God, failing to observe his commands, his laws and his decrees that I am giving you this day. 12 Otherwise, when you eat and are satisfied, when you build fine houses and settle down, 13 and when your herds and flocks grow large and your silver and gold increase and all you have is multiplied, 14 then your heart will become proud and you will forget the Lord your God!
Today, as a nation so many have forgotten the Lord and have disobeyed. We need to remember the Lord, praise Him for all that He has given us. Let’s pray….
