All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the Lord, and all the families of the nations shall worship before you. For kingship belongs to the Lord, and he rules over the nations. (Psalm 22:27-28)
There are more than a few places in Scripture that show us all the nations gathered at the throne room of God worshiping the one true king. Worship is the end goal of all of creation. It is the purpose for which all nations came into being and our highest good as God's creatures.
Sin, when looked at in this light, is the rejection of God as God. It is to say, "I will be my own God, choosing for myself what is right and good." Sin is to remove God from his rightful place at the center of the universe and the center of our lives.
Repentance, then, is to turn away from other gods (chiefly ourselves) and to turn our hearts back to the living God in worship and praise. It is to orient our lives around the one true king who by his nature and being rightfully belongs there. It is to acknowledge and trust God as God.
But the Scriptures also teach that we are dead in our rebellion against him, that our foolish hearts are darkened to the truth. That is, until they are brought to life again by the Spirit of God. Our coming to him depends upon him having come to us.
And so for those whom we long to see come to Jesus, our first and preeminent act is to pray—to pray that God would bring to new life those who remain dead in their trespasses and sins.
Who are you praying for today? Pray earnestly! For all the nations will come to him to worship.