Our country is now 234 years old. That isn't very old compared to the age of most of the countries in the world. A country may change it's name, civilizations have evolved, still, you can trace it's 'roots' back to it's beginning. We in America have a Godly beginning!
This American holiday is celebrated like no other. My husband, son and I joined our daughter and her husband's family at their vacation home in Lake Arrowhead (So. California mountains) for a day of boating, sunning, eating bowels of fruit and pasta salad, hamburgers and hot dogs from the grill and finally a huge fireworks display over the lake. The pine trees were so green, the sky so blue, the lake the color of emeralds, and the weather a perfect 80 degrees! There were six small children, all cousins, and four dogs so loved. What a good time we had! There were ping pong tournaments, card playing - many good memories.
At this time of year maybe we tune into some of our 'national hymns' more than usual. How often we sing the words without even a thought to their meaning. Did you know that these familiar tunes and their words were inspired from Scripture?
A favorite song, 'My Country 'Tis of Thee'......yes, my country comes from you Lord.
"sweet land of liberty"......our land is precious because God has made it free..... the 4th verse says that God is the "author of liberty" - Psalm 33:12 - "Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, and the people he chose for his inheritance".
It's interesting to me, that nations whose people are not free in the sense we know it, do not come into a relationship with God through Jesus Christ in large numbers as in our country. We know for instance, that Communism is synonymous with atheism. Here's an amazing statistic; there are now more Christians in China than in the U.S. True, simply because of the number of people living in that country.
Another favorite, 'America, the Beautiful', is a prayer for 'God to shed His grace on thee'. Acts 10:35 - (God)"....accepts men from every nation who fear him and do what is right".
We don't often sing the second verse of our National Anthem, the Star Spangled Banner, which says in part.....
"Blest with victory and peace, may the heaven-rescued land Praise the Power that hath , made and preserved us a nation! Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just; And this be our motto: 'in God is our trust!' Isaiah 51:5 "....and my arm will bring justice to the nations."
Do you know that the 'cap' on the very top of the Washington Monument has 'To God be the Glory' inscribed on it in Latin? And some, even our President, say that we are not a Christian country?!!
Another 'National Hymn', God of our Fathers....."whose almighty hand....our grateful songs before Thy throne arise." Psalm 48:14 "For this God is our God forever and ever; he will be our guide even to the end."
I could continue, but think this is enough to entice you to study on our own and 'see if this be true'. When you take a Bible in your hand and ask the Lord to show you how His word can apply to your life and your country, He will do that, because He is faithful to keep His promises.
We surely are a blessed nation among nations, but the gospel isn't just for us. John 3:16, "For God so loved the world...." During ancient times the Hebrew nation considered themselves separate from the 'world'. There were the Jews and there was 'the world!' John was making the point that Yahweh, Hebrew name for God, wasn't only Jehovah God of the Jews, but for all people. All in the sense of all nations, all races, all colors, both male and female, etc. We really need to look at the rest of this verse to have a more complete understanding.
"that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." '
'Whoever believes'......so how do we come to believe? By faith, Eph. 2:8-9. How do we get the faith in order to believe? It is a gift! We never boast in ourselves, but boast in the Lord knowing, He has done it all! The sheep will hear His voice - John 10.
Thank you Lord for America. Please continue to keep your mighty hand on us and spread faith in the hearts of those who would like to tear down our Chrisitian heritage. In YOU alone we trust.
