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I get it. Many people are feeling tired, hopeless, and discouraged. Life is tough and the past few years have been really tough. But there is hope. Take some time to read slowly through this familiar passage. Focus on it. Claim the truths for yourself. Refocus your mind onto the truth of God rather than the problems of the world:

Psalm 23

1 The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. (He gives us everything we need with generosity)

2 He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters, (He brings us to a peaceful place)

3 he refreshes my soul. (He invigorates my spirit)
He guides me along the right paths
for his name’s sake. (He takes me to where I need to go)

4 Even though I walk
through the darkest valley,[a]
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me; (When evil is present, God is right there with me)
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me. (He brings comfort to us)

5 You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies. (When my enemy is ready to fight, God is ready)
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows. (Abundance is mine)

6 Surely your goodness and love will follow me
all the days of my life, (God’s love for you is eternal and never-ending)
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord
forever. (The promise of heaven is real for us)

Aren’t these great promises? Focus prayerfully on them today!

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So many of us are looking at the state of America right now and wondering, “How far can we sink? What is the answer? How can America be saved?”

The answer is found in a place many people have abandoned… The Bible. But it is all right there. This is nothing new. In fact, God regularly dealt with the Israelites and their turning away from him. But he always gives them a way back. II Chronicles chapter 7 tells us the following…

Key Verse (13-14): 13 “When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command locusts to devour the land or send a plague among my people, 14 if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”

Now some thoughts from Got Answers:

“The key to understanding any verse of Scripture is context. There is the immediate context—the verses before and after it, as well as the larger context of Scripture—how the verse fits into the overall story. There is also the historical and cultural context—how the verse was understood by its original audience in light of their history and culture. Because context is so important, a verse whose meaning and application seem straightforward when quoted in isolation may mean something significantly different when it is taken in context.

“When approaching 2 Chronicles 7:14, one must first consider the immediate context. After Solomon dedicated the temple, the Lord appeared to him and gave him some warnings and reassurances. “The Lord appeared to him at night and said: ‘I have heard your prayer and have chosen this place for myself as a temple for sacrifices.’ When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command locusts to devour the land or send a plague among my people, if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land” (2 Chronicles 7:12–14).

“The immediate context of 2 Chronicles 7:14 shows that the verse is tied up with Israel and the temple and the fact that from time to time God might send judgment upon the land in the form of drought, locusts, or pestilence.

“A few verses later God says this: “But if you turn away and forsake the decrees and commands I have given you and go off to serve other gods and worship them, then I will uproot Israel from my land, which I have given them, and will reject this temple I have consecrated for my Name. I will make it a byword and an object of ridicule among all peoples. This temple will become a heap of rubble. All who pass by will be appalled and say, ‘Why has the Lord done such a thing to this land and to this temple?’ People will answer, ‘Because they have forsaken the Lord, the God of their ancestors, who brought them out of Egypt, and have embraced other gods, worshiping and serving them—that is why he brought all this disaster on them’” (2 Chronicles 7:19–22).”

God has America in a place where we are suffering, but we are suffering because we have forsaken Him. The “Secret to Saving America,” is no secret at all. We must turn back to God and experience revival. It is our only hope. Our hope is not in a President, but a King. The King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. Join me today in prayer for America.