Who Speaks First

Psalm 80:18 (KJV) So will not we go back from thee: quicken us, and we will call upon thy name.

Why did Israel never seem to find revival as a nation?  Individuals came to the Lord.  I expect there to be descendants of David in heaven.  We have a woman in our church who was born and raised a Jew and is now a follower of Jesus.  In spite of those observations, as a group, a people, a nation they have refused to turn to the God who called them out of Egypt.

This verse gives a clue.  They expected God to force them into obedience.  They expected God to “quicken” them and then they would call on Him.  They continued to wait and live in self-centered rebellion as they waited for the big boom.

Too many people raised in Protestant churches seem to feel the same way.  If God chooses them and transforms them, then they will get serious about the things of God.  Remember how that theology worked out for Israel.

So?  I could be wrong.  It seems to me that God expects us to call on Him so that He can respond.  He is God and can force us to faith but somehow that does not seem to match the idea of being created in His image.