How can a land get prosperity and peace? Is it by good education? By people working hard? By voting in the right leaders and representatives? By establishing good laws and law enforcement? By making agreements with like-minded nations? Well, all these things may be somewhat helpful in their own place, but they are not the secret to a nation’s prosperity and peace.
Psalm 147 is written to Israel, but it has principles that can be applied to any land. “12) Praise the LORD, O Jerusalem; praise thy God, O Zion. 13) For he hath strengthened the bars of thy gates; he hath blessed thy children within thee.” (Psalm 147:12,13) The strength and the blessing of a land come from the hand of God. He is the one that establishes the nation and multiplies its children and brings it growth and stability. Psalm 127:1 says, “Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the LORD keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain.” We can have the kindest and most wonderful rulers who love their nation and care for the people and want to see them prosper; we can have the strongest army and the best intelligence there is; but, all these things are in vain if we do not fear the Lord and depend on Him to keep our nation. He is the one that protects the borders, keeps the enemies out of the gates and blesses our children. Without dependence on the LORD, we are nothing as a nation.
Psalm 147:14 says, “He maketh peace in thy borders, and filleth thee with the finest of the wheat.” Peace and plenty come from God. God protects a land from its enemies. God causes the crops to produce good harvest; He prospers the industry and makes it grow.
Look around. Do you have a house? A job? A car? A bed to sleep in? Sufficient to eat? Enough clothes? Do you feel safe at night? All those things came from God. It is important to recognize God as the giver of all these good things and to thank Him. If we do not thank God for the good things He has given, we must not be surprised if God takes all these things away from us. Romans chapter one shows us that unbelief and unthankfulness lead to all kinds of sin and evil. They distort the thinking and cause us to trust in ourselves and to lust after things which we cannot and should not have. The end result of persisting in unbelief and unthankfulness is that God will give us over to a reprobate mind to do the things which please ourselves. This will lead to unrest and destruction instead of peace and prosperity.
How do we, as a people, avoid sliding into the trap of unbelief and unthankfulness? By praising the LORD. By lifting Him up with songs and words of thanksgiving. By fearing Him and hoping in Him. Some of these things can be seen earlier in this very Psalm. Some are seen in Psalm 33, “20) Our soul waiteth for the LORD: he is our help and our shield. 21) For our heart shall rejoice in him, because we have trusted in his holy name. 22) Let thy mercy, O LORD, be upon us, according as we hope in thee.” (verses 20-22)