The Need of Every NationSample

Not only do we need to trust God and stay right with him, today we discover the third thing God expects His children to do...

3.We can pray

Psalm 11 and Psalm 12 are both very brief and each were written by David. Though they were written at different times in his life, the theme begun in Psalm 11 seems to continue naturally into the next psalm. God’s truth will help us at every stage of life. It is a reminder that His way is perfect as we fight every battle and face every burden.

Psalm 12 is a prayer which begins this way in verses 1-5:

"Help, Lord; for the godly man ceaseth; for the faithful fail from among the children of men. They speak vanity every one with his neighbour: with flattering lips and with a double heart do they speak. The Lord shall cut off all flattering lips, and the tongue that speaketh proud things: Who have said, With our tongue will we prevail; our lips are our own: who is lord over us? For the oppression of the poor, for the sighing of the needy, now will I arise, saith the Lord; I will set him in safety from him that puffeth at him."

We love to grumble and to complain about how bad things are. Perhaps we should turn our complaining into confession and intercession! Let your conversation become communion with the One person who can do something about the situation.

The contrast in these verses is that the wicked do one thing with their lips while the righteous do something else. Wicked people speak empty words and flatter. God’s people are to pray. We must do more than merely fuss at the darkness.

For whom should we pray? This passage suggests four specific types of people:

• We should pray for godly people not to cease (verse 1).
• We should pray for the faithful not to fail (verse 1).
• We should pray for the poor to be protected (verse 5).
• We should pray for the needy to have God’s provision (verse 5). I love the opening words of Psalm 12:“Help, Lord.” When you cannot do anything else and the foundations seem to be shaking all around you, you can always pray. When you don’t know what to pray, you can pray this:“Help, Lord.” God will answer this simple prayer (Isaiah 41:10).

What is the greatest need of your nation? Is this need political? Does your nation need a better education system? Would any of the topics of social reform, equality, or economic stability be considered your nation's greatest need?

The greatest need of any nation is divine intervention. Will you purpose in your heart to be a believer who will earnestly pray for your nation?