America, Bless God

Psalm 103:1–2

“Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name. Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits.”

Father, we come before You grateful for another day and for the privilege of gathering in prayer.

We have asked You many times to bless our homes, bless our families, bless our churches, bless our communities, and bless our nation. And You have been gracious to us in more ways than we can count.

But today, Lord, turn our attention in another direction.

Instead of beginning with what we want You to do for us, teach us to ask what our lives are offering to You.

Search our hearts. Search Your Church. Search this nation.

Where there is pride, humble us. Where there is division, reconcile us. Where there is injustice, correct us. Where there is hatred, teach us to love. Where there is selfishness, teach us to serve. Where we have wandered from truth, bring us back.

May our worship be more than words, our prayers more than requests, and our Christianity more than a Sunday experience.

Teach us how to bless You with the way we live.

In Jesus' name, Amen.

America, Bless God

Most of us have heard the words:

“God bless America.”

We sing them.

We pray them.

Politicians say them.

Pastors say them.

Presidents often end speeches with them.

And there is nothing wrong with asking God to bless our nation.

But perhaps there is another question we need to ask:

What if God is waiting for America to bless Him?

Not because God needs something from us.

God is already God.

But Scripture repeatedly calls His people to:

“Bless the Lord.”

David said:

“Bless the LORD, O my soul.”

In other words:

Honor Him. Praise Him. Obey Him. Remember Him. Live in a way that brings glory to His name.

Perhaps our prayer shouldn't only be:

“God, bless America.”

Perhaps sometimes it should be:

“America, bless God.”

We Have Asked God for a Lot

Think about what we ask God to bless.

Bless our families.

Bless our children.

Bless our finances.

Bless our businesses.

Bless our churches.

Bless our schools.

Bless our military.

Bless our government.

Bless our communities.

Bless our future.

Bless America.

But here's the uncomfortable question:

What are we giving God to bless?

We cannot continually ask God to bless our direction while refusing to ask whether our direction honors Him.

We cannot ask God to bless our nation while ignoring the things that grieve His heart.

And this isn't simply about Washington.

It isn't simply about Democrats or Republicans.

It isn't simply about who occupies the White House, Congress, the governor's mansion, or the courthouse.

Before we point toward government, Scripture points us toward ourselves.

David didn't say:

“Bless the Lord, O government.”

He said:

“Bless the LORD, O my soul.”

Revival always becomes personal before it becomes national.

Bless God With Our Worship

Jesus said:

“God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” — John 4:24

God isn't looking merely for crowded churches.

He's looking for surrendered hearts.

America has churches everywhere.

We have Christian television.

Christian radio.

Christian books.

Christian conferences.

Christian schools.

Christian organizations.

Christian music.

Christian social media.

But the presence of Christian activity does not automatically mean the presence of Christian obedience.

We can sing about God without surrendering to God.

We can talk about God without walking with God.

We can ask God to bless our country while giving Him very little place in our everyday lives.

America, bless God with genuine worship.

Bless God With How We Treat People

Micah 6:8 says:

“He has shown you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?”

Notice those words:

Justice.Mercy.Humility.

God cares about how we treat one another.

He cares about the poor.

He cares about the stranger.

He cares about the widow.

He cares about children.

He cares about people who are overlooked.

He cares about people who don't look like us, vote like us, live where we live, or come from where we come from.

Jesus said:

“You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” — Matthew 22:39

A nation cannot truly bless God while learning to hate its neighbors.

The Church must demonstrate something different.

Truth without hatred.

Conviction without cruelty.

Justice without vengeance.

Compassion without compromise.

We don't have to agree on everything to recognize the image of God in one another.

Bless God With Humility

One of the most familiar Scriptures concerning a nation begins not with politicians but with God's people:

2 Chronicles 7:14

“If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways…”

Notice where God begins.

“My people.”

It's easy for the Church to diagnose America.

It's harder for the Church to examine itself.

We can point toward the darkness while forgetting that Jesus called us the light.

Maybe America doesn't simply need a louder Church.

Maybe America needs a more Christlike Church.

A praying Church.

A loving Church.

A truthful Church.

A compassionate Church.

A courageous Church.

A humble Church.

A Church willing to repent before demanding repentance from everyone else.

A Practical Story — The Birthday with No Gift

Imagine someone celebrating a birthday.

Friends and family arrive.

Everyone is excited.

But something strange happens.

Instead of bringing gifts for the person whose birthday it is, every guest walks through the door asking the birthday person for something.

One says:

“Can you give me some money?”

Another says:

“Can you help my family?”

Another says:

“Can you fix this problem?”

Another says:

“Can you open a door for me?”

Another says:

“Can you bless my business?”

Finally, almost everyone has asked for something.

But hardly anyone has brought anything.

Imagine the birthday person asking:

“Did anybody come because they love me?”

That picture challenges me.

How often do we come before God primarily asking:

“Lord, what can You do for us?”

Maybe prayer sometimes needs to become:

“Lord, what can we offer You?”

Our obedience.

Our worship.

Our gratitude.

Our service.

Our generosity.

Our compassion.

Our repentance.

Our lives.

What Would It Look Like for America to Bless God?

It would look like families praying together again.

It would look like churches crossing racial, cultural, economic, and generational barriers.

It would look like Christians serving

communities instead of merely criticizing them.

It would look like believers caring about truth even when truth challenges their own side.

It would look like people forgiving.

Neighbors helping neighbors.

Fathers loving their children.

Mothers being strengthened.

Young people being discipled.

The elderly being honored.

The poor being remembered.

The stranger being welcomed.

The hurting being noticed.

The Gospel being proclaimed.

And God's people living differently Monday through Saturday because of the God they worship on Sunday.

That would bless God.

Personal Application

Today, don't begin by asking:

“What's wrong with America?”

Begin with:

“Lord, what do You want to change in me?”

Before asking God to change Washington, ask Him to change our hearts.

Before asking God to heal the nation, ask Him to heal our relationships.

Before asking God to bring revival somewhere else, ask Him:

“Lord, let revival begin in me.”

Because nations are made up of states.

States are made up of cities.

Cities are made up of neighborhoods.

Neighborhoods are made up of homes.

And homes are made up of people.

Change the people, and eventually you change the nation.

Reflection

Am I primarily asking God to bless me, or am I living in a way that blesses Him?

Does the way I treat people bring honor to God?

Is there anything in my life that I am asking God to bless that He may actually be asking me to change?

What can I personally do today that would bring glory to God's name?

And finally:

If America looked at my Christianity, would it see what it means to bless God?

For generations we have prayed:

“God Bless America.”

Keep praying it.

But perhaps it's time to add another prayer:

America, remember God.

America, seek God.

America, honor God.

America, obey God.

America, worship God.

And before we ask America to do any of those things—

Church, let us do them first.

America, Bless God.

Closing Prayer

Father, thank You for the blessings You have poured upon us.

But forgive us when we have wanted Your blessings more than we have wanted You.

Forgive us when we have asked You to change everybody else without allowing You to change us.

Today we pray for America.

We pray for our leaders.

We pray for our communities.

We pray for our churches.

We pray for our families.

We pray for our children and grandchildren.

But most of all, Lord, start with us.

Teach us to do justice.

Teach us to love mercy.

Teach us to walk humbly with You.

Make us people whose lives bring honor to Your name.

And may our prayer no longer be only:

“God, bless America.”

May our lives declare:

“America, bless God.”

And may it begin with me.

In the mighty name of Jesus,

Amen.