Happy Birthday, America!
How thankful I am for this great nation and for the privilege of being born in a place where freedom reigns and faith is cherished--maybe not by all, but still by many. Our nation, where dreams and hopes can still be fostered and fulfilled and where human dignity and worth is still upheld, remains to this day, in the words of Abraham Lincoln, "the last best hope of earth." O Lord, might You yet forgive us and bless us and use us for Your glory and for this world's greater good.
Our national motto, "In God we trust" was enacted into law by the United States Congress in 1956. These words are stamped onto our coins and our currency. But are these words reflected in our lives as individual Americans? I have to ask myself, in the midst of hectic days, would this motto represent my attitude and actions--that I'm trusting God today? Am we trusting God or our bank accounts? Am we trusting God or healthy eating and exercise habits? Am we trusting God or our abilities and our access to "experts" or entities that we look to for help and advice? Am we trusting God or are we worrying and fretting? Am we trusting God or manipulating and plotting?
There's no doubt: if we want America to be great again, then we need to be individuals who seek to be great in the eyes of Almighty God. We need to be a nation of individuals who don't just give lip service to our motto, but who live by our motto--In GOD we trust. And you know what? It doesn't begin with Congress or the President. It doesn't begin with better judges or better laws. It doesn't begin with Democrats or Republicans or liberals or conservatives.
It begins with us. It begins with me... and you. It begins one person at a time choosing to be faithful and trusting in God and daily living out that trust. Maybe we all need to do a little less complaining and a little more thanking the Father. A little less worrying and a little more worshipping the Lord. A little less gossiping and a little more forgiving and giving grace. A little less entertaining of ourselves and a little more pursuing of God. A little less hoarding and a little more sharing. A little less seeking to elevate ourselves and a little more promoting the greatness of our God. Less fussing and fretting, more trusting.
I close today with the words of Peter Marshall, a wonderful preacher and chaplain of the United States Senate. He delivered before the Senate, on July 3rd, 1947, a prayer that we lift up to our God of all power and provision and protection on this day:
"God of our fathers, whose Almighty hand hath made and preserved our Nation, grant that our people may understand what it is they celebrate tomorrow [today for us!]
May they remember how bitterly our freedom was won, the down payment that was made for it, the installments that have been made since this Republic was born, and the price that must yet be paid for our liberty.
May freedom be seen not as the right to do as we please but as the opportunity to please to do what is right.
May it ever be understood that our liberty is under God and can be found nowhere else.
May our faith be something that is not merely stamped upon our coins, but expressed in our lives.
Let us, as a nation, not be afraid of standing alone for the rights of men, since we were born that way, as the only nation on earth, that came into being 'for the glory of God and the advancement of the Christian faith.'
We know that we shall be true to the Pilgrim dream when we are true to the God they worshipped.
To the extent that America honors Thee, wilt Thou bless America, and keep her true as Thou hast kept her free, and make her good as Thou hast made her rich. Amen."
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