God Bless America!

My strength comes into its own in your weakness. 2 Corinthians 12:10

God bless America, land that I love. Stand beside her, and guide her through the night with a light from above. From the mountains to the prairies, to the oceans white with foam; God bless America, my home sweet home.

The song God Bless America was written in 1918 by Irving Berlin as a war time salute to soldiers, but he decided not to use it and packed it away. It was resurrected in 1938 by Mr. Berlin and used as a “peace song” in response to escalating tensions in Europe. He made changes to it and gave it to Kate Smith to sing on her radio show to commemorate Armistice Day.

Kate Smith introduced the song with these words, “As I stand before the microphone and sing it with all my heart, I’ll be thinking of our veterans, and I’ll be praying with every breath I draw that we shall never have another war.” Unfortunately, war did come, but the song endures as does the message it conveys. It has found its place in churches, the scouts, veteran’s celebrations, and moving tributes to America. Who can sing it without a tear in your eye and pride in your heart?

It also found a home in baseball stadiums around the country. The song replaced the national anthem in 1940 at the Brooklyn Dodgers baseball games because the organization felt it was easier to sing. It was also added to the seventh inning stretch at many baseball games after September 11th. It’s no longer a war time song, but has fulfilled Mr. Berlin’s hope and become a song of peace and love of country.

The founding fathers of over 200 years ago loved this country, and they had a vision for it. They were a diverse group made up of merchants, farmers, lawyers, etc., yet they all believed in this new, young country. Even though they all wanted liberty, they didn’t all agree on the best way to achieve it. They had different opinions on the best course of action for the country, the appropriate form of government, and the structure which would balance liberty with order. As with any group, their strength was often gained from their differences. In other words, they, like politicians of today, disagreed. On one thing they agreed, any attempt to govern without God will fail.

Unlike today, they were able to put aside their own disagreements and work together as parties and individuals to form one nation under God with liberty and justice for all. There is no doubt that there is a battle raging all around us this week and perhaps in many weeks to come, but there’s none of us who have the strength to win it alone. I do firmly believe that God is fighting this battle, and it is He who will determine the way our nation will proceed.

The good news for us is that after we have done our civic duty, weighed the candidates, listened to the facts, and voted our conscience, our only job then is to hit our knees and turn it over to God. Everyone of us has dealt with disillusionment, discouragement, confusion, and conflict, and we are weary of the battle. The Bible tells us that we should not be afraid or dismayed – for the battle is not ours, but Gods. (Exodus 14:14) Our battle is to fight the good fight of faith. (1 Tim 6:12)

Henry W. Grady on speaking of the strength of America originally said, “Surely the great strength of America lies in its military and naval might.” Years later after the might of war and the military had faded away, he was on his knees in a family circle of evening prayer, and there came to his heart a new conviction. He ended the prayers that evening with this confession; The strength of America is found not in its great armies, but in its godly people.

I truly pray that God will Bless America and strengthen her people with love, peace and hope in the days, months, and years to come. Let us never forget these words: We are to stand firm in our faith with the certain knowledge that the battle is the Lord’s. Our faith is His victory – a victory that has already been accomplished on the cross. That is what overcomes the world. Ray Stedman