Jeremiah 18:5-10

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 18:5-10

Jeremiah is full of If, If, Then statements and these can serve as warnings to us today, too!

I took note of the word 'announce' in these verses. God just has to say something and it comes into existence, just like when He created the universe. God said, Let there be light. . .

I found comfort in these passages first because I can see how God is involved in what is going on in the world. Nothing slips His gaze or is hidden from Him. He has the power to raise us up or tear us down. He has the power to rise up a brand new nation - just like that - for His own purposes.

Secondly, I found comfort because God is patient and ultimately wants to bless us, not destroy us. He will destroy us if we don't heed His warning but He gives us plenty of warning and time to see the error of our ways. If we repent and obey then He will relent.

Friends, we are seeing God's warning shots all around us. Will we take heed? Will we examine our hearts and see how far we have strayed away from His will for our lives? Will we search out our sins and humbly repent, as individuals and as a nation? Will we turn our hearts back to God and make Him first in our lives again? Our nation was founded on biblical foundations and we must return God to His rightful place as our King.

May we all see the connection between how we live our lives and the blessings/curses of our nation. May we remember, repent, and return!