Jeremiah 48:1-49:22 / 2 Timothy 4 / Psalm 95-96 / Proverbs 26:9-12
Do you ever wonder what path to follow in life? There are so many options, opinions, choices, and decisions to make that it can be overwhelming. I’m usually a decisive person but there are times I’m not sure what I should do. Today I’m having one of those dilemmas and I know that only my heavenly Father has the answer.
Sometimes your family member or friend can’t tell you what to do because God wants to tell you Himself. When God brings you an answer it will never violate His written Word. You will find principles in His Word to guide every decision you make. I’ve heard some say that the answer to their question is not in the Bible. Your answer may not appear specifically, but there will always be a precedent set that will guide you toward Truth.
The Father will sometimes allow another to answer, and He will sometimes wait for you to sit with Him and wait quietly to hear what He has to say. At other times, you may experience answers from both places to help give wisdom to your situation. Today I have questions about the nations. What is my role and responsibility toward nations and people who live there?
In reading Psalm 96 I found the beginnings of some answers, but I’m realizing I’ll need to continue to sit with the Father so He can unfold His heart on the matter. Here are the five verses I found to help me so far:
Verse 3: “Declare His glory among the nations, His marvelous deeds among all peoples.”
Verse 5: “For all the gods of the nations are idols, but the LORD made the heavens.”
Verse 7: “Ascribe to the LORD, all you families of nations, ascribe to the LORD glory and strength.”
Verse 9: “Worship the LORD in the splendor of His holiness; tremble before Him, all the earth.”
Verse 10: “Say among the nations, ‘The LORD reigns.’ The world is firmly established, it cannot be moved; He will judge the peoples with equity.”
As I was reading the above verses, I thought of one more that was pulled from the depths of my heart by Holy Spirit. Psalm 33:12 The Passion Translation states: Blessed and prosperous is that nation who has God as their Lord! They will be the people He has chosen for His own.
As I read these verses, I remembered that not every nation has God as their Lord. My nation does have God as their Lord, but we have strayed away from our firm faith these past many years. I am seeing a return to the Lord by a remnant of believers, among whom I am. I’m thankful that my heart has remained steadfast and fervent for the Lord in this season of life. It’s not an easy season to remain steadfast and many are falling away from their faith and from fellowship with other believers.
As I’m praying for the nations and the people who live there, I now have some decrees I can make over the 195 nations of the earth. I can decree over them His glory and marvelous deeds, imploring them to see and remember all He has done. I can decree that the nations who are serving idols will have their eyes opened to Truth. I can decree that the nations will ascribe to the Lord the glory and strength He deserves.
I can decree to the nations to worship the Lord and tremble before Him – not in fear, but in reverence and awe. I can decree to the nations the Lord reigns and He will judge all people equally. And I can decree blessings over the nations whose God is the Lord. As I said, I’m sure I’ll find other things to decree as I read, communicate, and study. But this is a great beginning in answering my question. I didn’t expect to find the answer today, but I made myself available to worship and communicate with God and He saw the questions on my heart, so He answered! That’s pretty amazing to me!
