The individual believer, the church, and the nation, lives or dies by revival.
Since we are living in a fallen state, without a recovery process we would eventually erode.
We can be very grateful that God installed a process whereby we can be rejuvenated, given new hope and strength to go forward in spite of our failures. That process is termed "revival" in the Word of God.
The 85th Psalm is often used as a resource for revival preaching. But often overlooked is the fact that, as a prayer song, it is patriotic in nature.
Notice verse 1 - "LORD, thou hast been favorable unto thy land..."
And verse 12 - "Yea, the LORD shall give that which is good; and our land shall yield her increase."
But especially notice verse 9 - "Surely his salvation is nigh them that fear him; that glory may dwell in our land."
The Psalmist is talking about his homeland.
He pleads for Divine favor and genuine revival, but the point that we must be careful not to miss is this: he was asking for revival for his land, for his country.
We often think of the 85th Psalm as applicable to individual or church revival, and it is, but only secondarily. Primarily it was written to express a desire for national revival.
This patriotic prayer song encompasses at least three precepts for national revival:
1. Thanksgiving - Verses 1-3
2. Turning - Verses 4-8
3. Truth - Verses 9-13
1. Today we pause to thank God for His blessings on America.
God is by and large the primary reason America is such a great nation, enjoying the tremendous liberties we value. Sure we’re thankful for the founding fathers and the thousands upon thousands of patriots who have sacrificed to make this land free and prosperous and second to none in liberty - but don’t forget the original instigator of liberty is the Lord Himself!
"Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty." (2 Corinthians 3:17)
The patriot who wrote this Psalm (perhaps David) realized, "thou hast been favorable unto thy land". (verse one) Surely God has been favorable to America as well.
Its long been a personal habit of mine to read several books on American history this time of year so last week I read one on the transcontinental railroad and one on the space program. And you know what? Whether you are reading about the wide open spaces and resplendent natural resources of our land as the builders of the transcontinental railroad witnessed in 19th Century America, or the technological marvels of the 20th Century evidenced by the space program, you’ve got to agree that America has been singly blessed in the history of the world as a nation!
I’m not making that statement to encourage us to stick out our chests in pride, but rather to encourage us to lift up our hands in praise and adoration to the God who singly blessed us! We are not the only people blessed and used of God, but as Americans today we should not forget to thank the One who is mostly responsible for our nation’s greatness!
The holiday of Independence Day in the United States should be a time of thanksgiving to God. We have a national Thanksgiving holiday in November and that is appropriate. But we can’t thank God too much!
In verse 2 the Psalmist talks about forgiveness and sins covered. He highlights God withholding His wrath on his country in verse 3. These are wonderful blessings to be thankful for if you are somehow unable to think of others.
In the current issue of Christianity Today there is an article pointing out the law in Saudi Arabia that makes it illegal to share the gospel of Christ or listen to someone telling about Jesus. The crime is punishable by hanging. And when they hang those guilty of breaking this law they leave them hanging in public for three days.
When I read that I said to myself, "Thank God for a land like America where we have freedom of speech and freedom of religion!" These blessings of liberty are the result of God’s presence in our past and present and hopefully in our future.
America has been brought back time and again by Divine favor. Through wars, hot and cold, through growing pains and financial disasters, through acts of terror of internal and external origin - it has been the good grace of God that has kept us safe and solvent as a nation!
2. But the Psalmist does not stop with thanksgiving. His awareness that his nation’s blessings are a gift from God causes him to cry out in repentance - which is the second criteria for revival, personal or national.
"Turn us", he says in verse 4. The Hebrew word literally means "turn back". "Turn us back to you God", was the prayer of this patriotic penitent singer.
"Revive us" again - verse 6. The use of the word "again" also indicates a previous state of blessing and closeness with God that needs to be recovered. "Help us get back to where we once were as a nation", is his plea.
"Shew us thy mercy" - verse 7a. God has been merciful to our nation. Since the 1973 Supreme Court decision we have been legally allowing millions of innocent pre-born babies to be slaughtered through abortion. We deserve to be judged as a nation for this horrible atrocity, a crime that is just as bad as what Hitler or Stalin did in their attempts to annihilate Jews or Christians. And if those of us who know the truth about this issue ever stop speaking out against it I fear God’s hand of mercy will be lifted.
"Grant us thy salvation" - verse 7b. We will not be saved by our military might; neither by our technological genius; nor by our great prosperity and free enterprise - as wonderful as these things are.
"Salvation is of the Lord." (Jonah 2:9)
A proper way to celebrate our independence is to pray with the Psalmist that God will help our nation turn from the things that displease Him.
It begins on an individual level.
"Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage." (Galatians 5:1)
The legalists among the Galatian churches were trying to get the believers there to add steps to the salvation process which is "by faith". Paul reminded them that they were already free in Christ without lawkeeping.
But Paul also warned in Galatians 5:13 - "For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another."
Here’s the deal. We are free in Christ, but not free to do anything we want - that’s not liberty - that’s license - and God doesn’t promote licentiousness.
If you have been doing what you want to do and not doing what God wants you to do you need to pray with the Psalmist "turn us". "Turn us back to doing what you want us to do God."
That’s what American believers should be praying!
3. Revival and patriotism not only have to do with thanksgiving and turning, they also have to do with the truth.
The Psalmist mentions truth in verses 10 and 11.
"Mercy and truth are met togther". (verse 10) Thank God for His mercy on our land - but mercy never comes at the cost of truth. Liberty has a cost, but it is not selling out the truth.
We must continue to be a nation and a people that stand for truth.
"Truth shall spring out of the earth". (verse 11) When we practice thanksgiving and turning, we will have a readier grasp of God’s truth. It’s difficult to see the truth when your heart is dirty and you’re fighting the pangs of a guilty conscience.
In the movie "Insomnia", actor Al Pacino plays the role of a Los Angeles detective who goes to Alaska to help solve a difficult homicide. The entire time he is there he suffers from insomnia. There is a hint at first that his inability to sleep is caused by the nearly 24 hours per day of sunlight being experienced in that part of Alaska at the time.
But as the plot progresses we see it more his conscience rather than the light that is keeping him awake. Years earlier he had falsified evidence to convict a criminal he knew was guilty of a heinous crime. His indiscretion is about to come to light through an Internal Affairs investigation. He tries his best to cover up. But as is often the case, the more he tries to cover up, the bigger the mess gets.
"He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whose confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy."
(Proverbs 28:13)
Mercy comes when man accepts the truth about himself and his sin.
Mercy comes to a nation from a revival of the truth as well.
Will you come to God today in truthfulness about yourself?
Will you come to Him and ask Him to use you to stand for the truth in our nation?
The experience of revival in our land will begin one person at a time. Let it begin with you!
