One of the things we learn in the gospel is that God is great when it comes to forgiveness of sin. Not only does He forgive great sins in individuals, He also forgives the sins of nations. When we stagger at the conversion of one unbeliever, it is because of wonder that God could be so kind to one who despised Him. But we often don’t even consider the possibility of an entire nation being forgiven, and this is because we think it is too complicated a problem. There are so many sinners. Where would God start?
The answer is that God starts wherever He wants. Revivals and awakenings are the name we give to that kind of massive grace, given to a people all at once. But the grace of God is not like a battery, where the power can be drawn down or depleted. As far as that goes, it is all one to Him, whether the forgiveness is extended to one or to millions.
In Psalm 85, God has brought back the captivity of Jacob. Confession of sin in the Bible is often expressed in the first person plural. Forgive us, Lord. Restore us, we pray. When we confess our sins, the first thing we do is confess on behalf of our sinful nation—and we don’t pray, “Forgive them, Lord.” We ask for a spirit of repentance to be granted, as a gift of grace, to our people at large, to our people as a whole. God can do this, and there are many times in history when He has done it. If we have a heart for the lost—as opposed to being reconciled with the way things are—we will consistently be asking Him to do it again.