Clifford Hill asks: could Britain be revived to follow God once more?

What will happen next week if Britain votes to leave the European Union? We hear so much about the dire economic consequences of leaving, but very little about the benefits and the prosperity that could follow - if there were a Christian initiative.

Could Britain become a nation under God - and what would this look like?

There is still a statistically significant number of active Christians in Britain and many prayer meetings have been planned over the next week, drawing together thousands of believers fervently calling upon God for his blessing upon the nation. Will their prayers be effective?

What is God Seeking in His People?

God does not rely upon numbers in making his decisions for judgment or blessings. God told Abraham that if he could find just ten righteous persons in Sodom and Gomorrah, the cities would be spared. So what are the things God looks for in his people before pouring out his blessings? It is certainly not large numbers, nor even moral righteousness, although his people are certainly expected to become righteous.

Moses reported to Israel:

The Lord did not set his affection on you and choose you because you were more numerous than other peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples. But it was because the Lord loved you and kept the oath he swore to your forefathers that he brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the land of slavery, from the power of Pharaoh King of Egypt. Know therefore that the Lord your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commandments. (Deut 7:7-9) [emphasis added]

God looks for a particular quality: he primarily looks for people of faith whom he can use in working out his purposes in the world.

Need for Faith

The definitive statement of this mission for Israel is in Isaiah 42:5-9:

This is what the Lord says – he who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread out the Earth and all that comes out of it, who gives breath to its people, and life to those who walk on it: I, the Lord, have called you in righteousness; I will take hold of your hand. I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people and a light for the Gentiles, to open eyes that are blind, to free captives from prison and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness.

God is a covenant-keeping God who never breaks his promises, but human beings are prone to faithlessness and falling into sin. When this happened with Israel and they cried out to God for forgiveness and help, he willingly forgave them and restored prosperity and blessings to them with a fresh command to do his work in the world – to open eyes that are blind by reflecting God's presence with them.

God is never unfaithful to his people – but when his people are unfaithful to him, he willingly forgives and restores if they return and cry out to him.

That promise was given to Solomon at the dedication of the Temple in 2 Chronicles 7:14: "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 will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land."

A similar promise was given to all nations through the Prophet Jeremiah, "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" (18:7-8).

Need for Repentance

What God also looks for is sincere repentance among people who are determined to do something about the moral and spiritual state of the nation; who are prepared to pray in accordance with Isaiah 59:12: "Our offences are ever with us, and we acknowledge our iniquities: rebellion and treachery against the Lord, turning our backs on God...Truth has stumbled in the streets, honesty cannot enter. Truth is nowhere to be found and whoever shuns evil becomes a prey".

That prayer was offered by the people who were captives in Babylon – they prayed on behalf of the whole nation. God's response was "My Spirit, who is on you, and my words that I have put in your mouth will not depart from your mouth, or the mouths of your children, or from the mouths of their descendants from this time on and forever, says the Lord" (Isa 59:21).

This promise could be available for Britain if even a small number of righteous individuals pray in line with the will of God and are determined to put their lives under the direction of his Holy Spirit for transforming the nation.

God is looking for repentant people who are prepared to pray about the moral and spiritual state of their nation.

Need for Action

What is required is not just faith and repentance - we also need to do something about the state of our nation, where the proportion of the population professing a Christian faith continues to decline year on year. "Faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead" (James 2:17).

We are meant to be Christ's ambassadors, through whom God can reveal his nature and purposes and through whom the Holy Spirit can be poured out, as in the days of revival described in this week's article by Clifford Denton, when people's lives were transformed by the Spirit of God.

The result could be a nation under God.

A Radiant Future?

What would such a nation look like? Isaiah 35 gives a picture of such a transformation, when the land blossoms with the glory of the Lord through the presence of his people who are filled with his Spirit and radiating his presence to all around them!

Of course, in taking great steps of faith there are hardships and anxieties, and it does require each believer to be involved. But the Lord urges his people to "strengthen the feeble hands, steady the knees that give way; say to those with fearful hearts, be strong, do not fear; your God will come" (Isa 35:3-4).

The details of the blessings that can be expected when a nation puts their trust in the Lord are set out in Deuteronomy 28:3-8:

• "You will be blessed in the city and blessed in the country." - Peace and security will cover the whole land.
• "The fruit of your womb will be blessed, and the crops of your land and the young of your livestock – the calves of your herds and the lambs of your flocks." - The health of the population and the land will be guaranteed.
• "Your basket and your kneading trough will be blessed." - The economy will prosper.
• "You will be blessed when you come in and blessed when you go out." - Borders will be secure.
• "The Lord will grant that the enemies who rise up against you will be defeated." - There will be protection from terrorism and war.
• "The Lord will send a blessing on your barns and on everything you put your hand to" - The nation will experience great prosperity and blessing in all its endeavours.

Surely this scenario is far better than anything being promised by our political leaders!