Unsustainable (adjective): not able to be supported, maintained, upheld, or corroborated; not able to be maintained at the current rate or level


"See, I am setting before you today a blessing and a curse—the blessing if you obey the commands of the Lord your God that I am giving you today; the curse if you disobey the commands of the Lord your God and turn from the way that I command you today by following other gods" (Deuteronomy 11:26-28).

God gives His people a clear choice: Obey and be blessed, or disobey and suffer His judgment.

Yet some would argue, "The nation of Israel had a unique covenant with God. Surely divine consequences for disobedience do not apply in the same way to other nations."

But consider these far-reaching words from the prophet Jeremiah to all nations regarding divine judgment:

"If at any time I announce that a nation or kingdom is to be uprooted, torn down and destroyed, and if that nation I warned repents of its evil, then I will relent and not inflict on it the disaster I had planned. And if at another time I announce that a nation or kingdom is to be built up and planted, and if it does evil in my sight and does not obey me, then I will reconsider the good I had intended to do for it" (Jeremiah 18:7-10).

The principle in these verses is undeniable—God not only blesses people and nations, He judges them as well.

As Erwin Lutzer put it, "The God of the Bible will not endlessly tolerate idolatry and benign neglect. He graciously endures rejection and insults, but at some point, He might choose to bring a nation to its knees with severe discipline." [1]

Is this happening to America?

Few nations on earth have as rich a Christian heritage as does the United States of America. Yet in recent decades, our nation has walked farther and farther away from God's Word. Consider the following evidences that God is withdrawing His blessings from America:

America's financial trajectory is unsustainable. The national debt was $5.9 trillion in 2001, $14 trillion in 2010, and is projected to be $16.3 trillion by the end of 2012. This does not include the more than $50 trillion of deficit spending pledged to entitlement programs over the next few decades or the staggering personal debt load of the average American.

America's eroding families are unsustainable. The high levels of divorce in America have resulted in epidemic levels of fatherlessness, a variable highly correlated to virtually every major negative statistic for children.

America's entertainment-based lifestyle is unsustainable. The average American spends 4–6 hours in front of a television screen every day—the equivalent of 15 years of their lives! This does not include the hours spent looking at Internet screens, video game screens, and smartphone screens. No wonder sociologist Neil Postman remarked that Americans are literally "amusing ourselves to death."

America's moral decline is unsustainable. The growing coarseness and immorality of American culture is undeniable. History repeatedly shows that most great nations don't collapse from outward threats, but from inward moral decay. The cycle seems to be "from bondage to spiritual faith; from spiritual faith to courage; from courage to liberty; from liberty to abundance; from abundance to selfishness; from selfishness to apathy; from apathy to dependency; and from dependency back to bondage once more." [2]

It's time to cry out.

In the Bible, nations under threat of judgment and disaster had only one way forward—crying out to God for help and restoration. The following prayer points can help believers who see the decay of their culture and the spiritual needs of their land:

Agree with God about the desperate need for revival.

Confess honestly before the Lord what you see in the world around you, what sins are running rampant, and even what the consequences of that evil have been. Admit your need personally for revival, and ask God to show His grace. Without God's help, there is no hope.

Believe and claim the promises of God for nations.

Jeremiah 18:7-10 offers hope that even when a nation has turned away from the Lord and forsaken His Word, and even when His judgment is at hand, there is still a way forward. There is still room for divine blessing. There are many promises throughout the Bible for those who turn to God with humility and honesty. Pray through these promises and the stories of revival in Scripture.

Confess specifically the sins in your own life, your church, and your culture.

We lament societal sins like abortion, greed, overindulgence, idolatry, and prejudice. But even more, we must confess to the Lord our own participation in such sins; after all, every national "wrong" is really a combination of the sinful choices of many individuals. Ask the Lord to search your heart for lust, pride, or materialism; then consider meeting with others in your church to confess and repent before God together.

Dedicate yourself, your family, and your nation to the Lord.

The Holy Spirit can transform even the most hopeless culture, the most divided church, or the most broken family. But much of His work depends on our willingness to obey Him over the long term. Voice before God your desire to honor Him, not only in prayer but in daily obedience. Rid your life of the things that pull you into sin, and replace them with wholehearted service to Christ. Then begin praying that God would shine His light across the land.

ENDNOTES:
[1] Is God on America's Side?, p. 16.
[2] Henning W. Prentis, Industrial Management in a Republic, p. 22

 

Corporate Repentance

There are twelve revival movements recounted in the Old Testament:

Exodus 32
1 Samuel 7 [1–7]
2 Samuel 6–7
2 Chronicles 14–16
2 Chronicles 17–20
2 Chronicles 23–24
2 Chronicles 29–32
2 Chronicles 34–35
Ezra 1–6
Ezra 7–10
Nehemiah 1–13
Joel 1–2:27

Although there is some variation in what preceded these revivals, the most common action taken was a time of solemn assembly for corporate repentance.

Importantly, solemn assemblies were a very significant part of the life of believers in America during all its early years. Today, America as a nation is ripe for destruction. Will we have the grace to again humble ourselves, pray, repent of our sins, and seek God’s face?

Joel’s call requires prompt response: “Declare a holy fast, call a sacred assembly. Gather the people, consecrate the assembly; bring together the elders, gather the children.... Let them say, ‘Spare your people, O Lord’” (Joel 2:15-17).

***
Adapted from The Solemn Assembly by Richard Owen Roberts.

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