Turn us back to You, O LORD, and we will be restored; Renew our days as of old, 22 Unless You have utterly rejected us, And are very angry with us!
Lamentations 5:21-22

The book of Lamentations, written by the prophet Jeremiah, is the heart cry of the man of God in the wake of God’s judgment of Judah. The nation had turned away from God so severely for so long, that God gave them over to their enemies, the Babylonians. Their sin was so great and perverse that the judgment was also great and severe.

Jeremiah’s perspective was spot on! Unless God would be gracious to turn the people back to Him, and restore them—it wasn’t going to happen. From a human perspective, revival may look like people turning to God, but people do not turn to God unless God turns them to Himself! This does not preclude our responsibility to turn to God, but the consequences of sin always includes our inability to turn to Him if He does not supernaturally turn us.

The United States is not a covenant nation as was Israel. He has made no promises to us as He did to them. But when surveying the whole of human history, one would be hard pressed to name many nations (maybe any?) that have received God’s blessings as the U.S. has. And God’s blessings have not merely been physical prosperity. Our once great nation has been blessed spiritually like no other.

But we have turned away from Him, celebrating every form of sinful debauchery. Unless He turns us, we cannot turn. Let us plead with Him that He will turn us!