In the past week, the Psalm that I have been meditating on is Psalm 81 and the title in my Bible for this Psalm says, “an appeal for Israel’s repentance”. The key verses in this Psalm, I believe are verses 10-12 which say,
“I am the Lord your God, Who brought you out of the land of Egypt; Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it. But My people would not heed my voice, And Israel would have none of Me. So I gave them over to their own stubborn heart, To walk in their own counsels.”
Whew!! That is pretty sobering stuff right there. So, as if that were not enough, I have begun listening to Joel Rosenberg’s incredible book “Epicenter” on CD. I read this book last year and was blown away by how he describes prophecy in Ezekiel 36 and 37 that has already come true in our lifetime and what the Bible says in Ezekiel 38 and 39 is to come. Actually, we are witnessing some of it coming true in the very headlines that we read and see each day. If you have not read Epicenter or Rosenberg’s fictional ‘Jihad’ series, YOU NEED TO!!!
Anyway, I digress!! So, as I am pondering the upcoming elections and all the hideous implications of that mess, the Psalm passage and the Rosenberg book, I have to wonder if God is not up in heaven, looking down, thinking, ‘When are they going to get it?’ Let’s go back to the Psalm passage and focus on it for moment.
While God did not physically bring you and me out of Egypt (although I have been there and was so glad when He got me out), He has brought each of us through and out of some things that were mighty unpleasant, has He not? Every day we have the opportunity to receive from Him an abundant measure of His grace and mercy, as well as His wisdom. Each day we have the opportunity to choose the things that He would choose for us, the things that honor and glorify Him. Yet, in this nation we have chosen to take Him out of the schools, to kill unborn children, to allow same sex marriage. We have called acceptable the things that he calls unacceptable such as pre-marital sex, extra-marital sex, homosexuality, greed, pride, lying, gossip, abortion and so much else.
“But My people would not heed My voice, and they would have none of Me. So I gave them over to their own stubborn heart, to walk in their own counsels.”
I hate to be all gloom and doom, but do ya’ think that what is happening in our nation could be the consequences for our nation’s rejection of God and His ways and He is ‘giving us over to our stubborn hearts to walk in our own counsels? It has been well said that if God does not judge America for her ways, He will have to apologize to Sodom and Gomorrah (not a direct quote, but you get the idea.) Perhaps He tried to get our attention by allowing the 9/11 tragedy, but did we really change our ways as a nation? I don’t think so.
As the prophecies of Ezekiel come to pass before our very eyes, one has to at least ponder the possibility that what God is allowing in our nation is simply one more piece of the puzzle to fall into place that ultimately will usher the Lord Jesus Christ back to earth. Remember, nothing, and I repeat, nothing happens without the permission of God. It may not be part of His perfect will, but nothing happens without His permission.
