A significant number of believers are infected with a spiritual virus called “nationalism.” This spiritual virus seeks to supplant the true expression of the Kingdom and Nation of God by inserting their natural country as a key element in the outworking of God’s purpose. No country does it better than the United States of America. This perverted, nationalistic, “gospel” distorts the scriptures and hinders the advance of the Kingdom of God. Worse yet, the American Gospel has been exported to the nations of the world where it has done tragic damage to people and communities.
There is much more to say about this than can be said in this writing, but let’s consider a key concept that pervades the collective Christian psyche from Psalm 33. The verse in question is quoted so far from its original context it is apparent we are dealing with spiritual darkness that has blinded the eyes of the people of God. It is verse 12a…
“Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord.”
I have heard this verse quoted from pulpits, in prayer meetings, and in general conversation with believers. The (not so) tacit thought being communicated is that the USA is a blessed nation because of its (supposed) founding on Christian principles and ideals. The validity of that assumption will be left for another time, but we are concerned with the actual context of this misquoted and misapplied verse. Here is the full context.
“The Lord nullifies the counsel of the nations; He frustrates the plans of the peoples. The counsel of the Lord stands forever, the plans of His heart from generation to generation. Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord. The people He has chosen for His own inheritance.”
There are clearly two “nations” being referenced here. The first is the collective nations of the world, the second is the holy nation which is composed of those who are believers in Christ, as Peter wrote, “You are a holy nation…a people for God’s own possession.”
The only nation that is blessed is the holy nation that those who believe in Jesus have been born into. The nations of the earth, their counsels and plans, are being frustrated – brought to nothing – by the Spirit of the Lord working through the true nation of God. In as much as we insist on the purpose of God being intrinsically tied to the destiny of the USA, or Israel, or any other nation, we deny the true nation of God and hinder the advancement of the kingdom in the earth.
