On this National Day weekend, it's appropriate for us to consider the prototype nation of Israel in the Old Testament. The Jewish people came out of slavery in Egypt as a motley crew of people. They had no trained army, no public administrators, no institutions of learning, no legal framework, no currency and most importantly, no land to inhabit. No other nation in the history of mankind, except for Israel, was constituted before they possessed any land. Yet in over 400 years, they became the foremost nation in the Middle East during the days of King Solomon. The constructs and blueprint that God gave to the Jewish people for building a nation remain viable and relevant in our days. These same principles should guide us on how to pray for our nation so that we may continue to prosper and flourish.