A Blessed Nation?

Let Your mercy, Oh Lord, be upon us, just as we hope in You.  Psalm 33:22
As we celebrate this Independence Day we sing "God Bless America."  It is a wonderful song that sends chills up the spine, brings tears to the eyes and makes the heart swell.  The problem is the heart portion.  It swells with pride over a nation that dwells pretty much in freedom, but is slowly allowing that freedom to be taken away in the name of "what's best for ME."  Selfishness, greed and laziness have taken the place of trust in God, generosity and good work ethics.  We now live in a nation where people truly believe they deserve to be given money simply because they exist.  I cannot say that I hold this against them.  I see where those of us who should know better have allowed this to take place.  Each generation has wanted things to be easier for the next generation and we have accomplished that goal, but at what cost?
I was told about a video made by a woman journalist where she visited college students on the verge of graduating.  It was shocking to hear that many of them plan on living off the government.  Here they are getting an education that people come from all over the world to get, because other nations do not offer the same quality and it is most likely being paid for by their parents, but they are choosing to disregard it and get money for nothing.  They do not have a desire to work since they have learned the loopholes to jump through in order to not have to do so.  There is no pride in doing a job well for the joy of knowing you did so.  If I were the parent of said student, I would be angry and tell them I wanted my money back!  However, we have also come to the point of thinking giving our children everything they want is love.
Love - not an emotion, but rather the decision to do what is very best for a person whether they deserve it or not.  The emotion that goes with it, that  "good and mushy" feeling that moves us to do things we normally wouldn't do, is not true love.  Feelings come and go.  True love always remains steadfast and certain.  It chooses to do what is best whether the one we are bestowing that love on likes it or not.  This is God's love in us.
When I read this verse above, my heart sank a bit.  Our nation cries out for mercy.  When it doesn't seem to come, because we have in our heads and hearts what we think should be being done rather than what is truly necessary, we get angry at God.  He tells us right in this verse that His mercy will be upon us just as we hope in Him!!  The problem?  We don't trust in Him, we trust in what we think is right for us.  We do not see the overall picture, so how can we really know what is best for this nation?  God knows what He is doing, always has, always will.  We need to go back to trusting Him in this as our forefathers did.  Why were we so blessed back then?  Their hope was where it belonged - in Almighty God!!