Psalms Of National Repentance

At least six psalms are known as community laments (Psalms 44, 74, 79, 80, 83, and 137), and several others are similar to them. Written in times of national crisis, these psalms call for God to intervene on behalf of the nation.

Here are a few verses from psalms of communal lament:

Psalm 44:25

We collapse in the dust,

lying face down in the dirt.

Psalm 74:9

We see no miraculous signs

as evidence that you will save us.

All the prophets are gone;

no one can tell us when it will end.

Psalm 79:9

Help us, O God of our salvation!

Help us for the honor of your name.

Oh, save us and forgive our sins

for the sake of your name.

Psalm 80:19

Turn us again to yourself, O LORD God Almighty.

Make your face shine down upon us.

Only then will we be saved.

Psalm 90:16

Let us see your miracles again;

let our children see your glory at work.

Sometimes we think of the Psalms as expressing individual devotion to God, like “the Lord is my shepherd” (Psalm 23:1). But the Psalms were meant to be the hymnal for the entire nation. At times a godly king like Josiah or Hezekiah or leaders like Ezra or Nehemiah would call the people together for days of fasting, repentance, and seeking God, so there were also communal psalms of lament written for such times.

The year 1857 was not a good one for Americans. A financial crash had shaken the money centers of the world. Industry stood still. Wall Street floundered. The slavery issue divided North and South, Irish and German immigration flooded the labor markets, and interest in religion was at its lowest point in decades. Then a layman, Jeremiah Lanphier, began a noonday prayer meeting in New York City. At first only a few attended. But soon the idea spread to other cities. Pastors in Pittsburgh and Cincinnati called for a day of prayer, fasting, and humbling themselves before the Lord. Then came national revival. Within the next two years between five hundred thousand and one million people were converted to Christ.

How do you pray for your country? Do you ask God to intervene like the psalmists prayed? Are you calling people to repentance as Jeremiah Lanphier did in America in 1857? America has been very blessed and yet has wandered so far away. Are you praying for America to return to God?

Though our sins, our hearts confounding,

Long and loud for vengeance call,

You have mercy more abounding;

Jesus’ blood can cleanse them all.

God of nations in the skies,

Now for our deliverance rise.

CONGREGATIONAL COLLECTION