"Still My Country"

This is still my country,

Where we are still free,

To gather, speak and publish,

And worship equally.

We have our Constitution,

We have “In God We Trust,”

We have our Declaration,

We have all that we must,

Be thankful for and celebrate,

And share with all the world,

The last great dream of freedom,

Old Glory strong, unfurled.

And all that is a challenge,

Hatred dark and mean,

The chaos that divides us,

Threats subtle and unseen,

Cannot destroy our vision,

Because it is God’s gift,

And all that He has given,

He can defend and lift.

So all lives find their value,

We’re bound to every story,

And we all work together,

For our good and God’s glory.

“What joy for the nation whose God is the Lord…” (Ps. 33:12, NLT)

There is joy and blessing for a nation that honors God. But “nations” cannot know the Lord, only individuals can. Nations cannot be born again, but persons can be. Even if the majority of any country’s population is Christian, there are always some who are not. This is because Christianity is by definition an individualized faith. So how would we claim this promise which clearly is about ancient Israel. Perhaps one thing we can do is to share our faith at every turn, and pray that the Lord will help people to become less reactionary and more receptive. We can try to serve people lovingly so that they see in us a real witness for Jesus Christ. We can vote according to our consciences and try to influence others at every turn. Finally we can be intercessors for everything that matters. By becoming salt and light in our country, we can pray that God will empower Christian values in our nation’s cuture.

Lord, give our nation Your joy, in Jesus’ name.