 |
| There is an easier to read and easier to print READER version RIGHT HERE! |
When
the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice: but when the wicked beareth
rule, the people mourn.
(Prov 29:2)
But
whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being
not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in
his deed. (James
1:25)
Stand
fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not
entangled again with the yoke of bondage. (Gal 5:1)
As
free, and not using your liberty for a cloke of maliciousness, but as the
servants of God.
(1 Peter 2:16)
There has yet to be a Christian or Godly nation upon the earth. Israel was not
though they bore the seeds of faith in their midst in the followers of that
Promise given to Abraham. America, too, has never been a Christian nation, in
reality. But there is a thread of reality of the Kingdom principle in each. And
that thread runs through practically every nation upon the earth. To the extent
that a nation is more or less righteous in the worship and obedience of God,
that nation has the seeds of the Kingdom sown in its midst. There was a time
when America was heavily influenced by the Christian faith, but today that
faith has grown to a whimper of that which existed in olden times as a
watered-down Gospel is preached from America’s pulpits. Likewise, old Israel
was not faithful in the faith in that Promise made to Abraham.
I feel compelled to submit this devotion today having been inspired by the
singing of this hymn by our youth choir at St. Andrews last Sunday. It was a
hymn we sang each morning in my elementary school, and at least one verse of
which every Sunday in churches across America.
If we only make a cursory review of the Law of Liberty which
is perfected in Christ, we will see the profound contrast between Liberty and
License. Liberty carries with it the noble claims of responsibility and
dedication, while license is a mere form of anarchy that tends to the barren
waste of unruliness and famine. The human virtues that attend the maintenance
of Liberty are inspired of God and are not natural to the human soul. Only
those nations that bear faith and allegiance to God can enjoy the fruits and
blessings of Liberty. This is because, apart from the grant of God, there is no
Liberty – He being the Author thereof. License is only the expression of man’s
supposed free will which is not free at all, but is in bondage to Satan. WE see
that unbridled nature of the evil of men’s hearts emerging more and more on the
social and political landscape of this once Godly nation. I remember singing
this hymn in class with great pride in my elementary school years.
The hymn that is the object of this devotion was once sung in every church
across America at Sunday worship, but no more. It has, like the US Constitution
and Holy Bible, been relegated to the place of historical record and not a
daily living fare of the nation. Of the Rock (the Lord Jesus
Christ) that begat thee thou art unmindful, and hast forgotten God that
formed thee. (Deut 32:18) The lyrics for this great hymn
were composed by Samuel F. Smith in 1831, but the tune hails back to around
1740.
America (My Country, 'Tis of
Thee)
My country,' tis of thee,
sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing;
land where my fathers died,
land of the pilgrims' pride,
from every mountainside let freedom ring!
My native country, thee,
land of the noble free, thy name I love;
I love thy rocks and rills,
thy woods and templed hills;
my heart with rapture thrills, like that above.
Let music swell the breeze,
and ring from all the trees sweet freedom's song;
let mortal tongues awake;
let all that breathe partake;
let rocks their silence break, the sound prolong.
Our fathers' God, to thee,
author of liberty, to thee we sing;
long may our land be bright
with freedom's holy light;
protect us by thy might, great God, our King.
My country,' tis of thee, sweet
land of liberty, of thee I sing; land where my fathers died, land of the
pilgrims' pride, from every mountainside let freedom ring! The sweet land of Liberty
mentioned was once My country and, though it still affords a great
measure of freedom, that liberty and responsibility that once described her
character has faded as a waning star on the distant horizon, because her
citizens have forgotten the Lord who has endowed us with such grace and such a
rare form of Liberty among the nations of the earth. The land was purchased at
great sacrifice – the blood and sweat of her brave men and women of bygone
days. The land was first chosen and settled by pilgrims seeking religious
freedom from oppression. In the words of Emma Lazarus: Give me your
tired, your poor, Your huddled masses, yearning to breath free, The wretched
refuse of your teeming shore, Send these, the homeless, tempest tost to me, I
lift my lamp beside the golden door. Our freedoms are of God, and
when God is forgotten, the Liberties will vanish.
My native country, thee, land of
the noble free, thy name I love; I love thy rocks and rills, thy woods and
templed hills; my heart with rapture thrills, like that above. The citizens of a free country
exercise a Holy Love for that country which we call patriotism. Those who love
freedom are noble because they are children of the Great King, and Lord of
Lords. Just as a man may love and admire even the facial blemishes of his
beloved spouse, so does the patriot love every meadow, hill, and river of his
beloved country. He sees God in every place and under every tree. The rapture
the freeborn citizen feels while contemplating his country is also Holy and
like that felt in Heaven by the angels.
Let music swell the breeze, and
ring from all the trees sweet freedom's song; let mortal tongues awake; let all
that breathe partake; let rocks their silence break, the sound prolong. When a nation enjoys Liberty,
even the air is full of it, and the tall trees sing the wonder of it. Every
creature of a free nation profits from the benefits of Liberty. The rocks do,
indeed, break their silence in a free nation. Our Capitol, and the parks of our
cities, are filled with those stone monuments that herald the benefits of
freedom, and the cost in blood paid for the purchase.
The last verse is probably the most powerfully beautiful: Our
fathers' God, to thee, author of liberty, to thee we sing; long may our land be
bright with freedom's holy light; protect us by thy might, great God, our King.
Have we forgotten the God of our fathers? Our fathers paid tribute to God
for all of their blessings. Those old paths wherein our fathers walked were
paths of righteousness and wisdom. Thus
saith the LORD, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where
is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But
they said, We will not walk therein.(Jer
6:16) Those
old paths wherein our fathers walked were paths that honored God Almighty, the
Author and Finisher of the Liberty we enjoy. The life of the nation was
anchored in that Pillar of Faith. A free people are a people who love to sing
of those freedoms. The words, . .
. long may our land be bright with
freedom's holy light is no less than a continual prayer to invoke
God’s protection and providence upon us. Our protection resides in the Mighty
Arm of God and not that of flesh. The last line refers to the monarchical
kingdom to which we belong. When God was our King, our nation blossomed and
flourished. Is God still our Great God and King?
