As we camped our way to Minnesota and back this summer, there were a number of times I found myself singing “O Beautiful for Spacious Skies.” We definitely saw amber waves of grain; we saw purple mountains majesty; we saw the fruited plains. The mini-van with 105,000 miles on it even made it to the top of Pike’s Peak where Katherine Lee Bates wrote that song.
Along much of the journey, Lori was reading a book to the children and me in the car and in the camper about a family who traveled the same countryside in a covered wagon. We thought about those “Whose stern, impassioned stress a thoroughfare for freedom beat, across the wilderness.”
We visited Mount Rushmore and were moved to consider those who “More than self their country loved, and mercy more than life.” Each time the song would come into my head for these reasons the song would continue into a prayer for our nation:
God shed his grace on thee
And crown thy good with brotherhood
From sea to shining sea!
I was also taking a vacation from the news. Didn’t read it – Didn’t watch it – for 2½ weeks! And I’m a news hound! I’m sure there are major happenings that I still don’t know about, but I know the kind of things that happened: Soldier killed by IED; So-And-So Criticizes So-And-So’s Stand on Such-And-Such; Tornado Hits Trailer Park In _____; Gas Prices Up, Economy Down; Teens Videotape Selves On Rampage. It’s a fallen world.
Do we remember to pray for our country enough? Pray because America is sometimes a lone beacon in a dark night. Pray because sometimes America is going to hell in a hand basket. Pray because America has people in harm’s way every day. Pray because America has great power, and with that power comes great opportunity for good and for evil. Pray because America is one great experiment in democracy and human rights and righteousness and it’s still up in the air which way that experiment will go. Join in praying for our nation!
America! America!
May God thy gold refine
Till all success be nobleness
And every gain divine!
Along much of the journey, Lori was reading a book to the children and me in the car and in the camper about a family who traveled the same countryside in a covered wagon. We thought about those “Whose stern, impassioned stress a thoroughfare for freedom beat, across the wilderness.”
We visited Mount Rushmore and were moved to consider those who “More than self their country loved, and mercy more than life.” Each time the song would come into my head for these reasons the song would continue into a prayer for our nation:
God shed his grace on thee
And crown thy good with brotherhood
From sea to shining sea!
I was also taking a vacation from the news. Didn’t read it – Didn’t watch it – for 2½ weeks! And I’m a news hound! I’m sure there are major happenings that I still don’t know about, but I know the kind of things that happened: Soldier killed by IED; So-And-So Criticizes So-And-So’s Stand on Such-And-Such; Tornado Hits Trailer Park In _____; Gas Prices Up, Economy Down; Teens Videotape Selves On Rampage. It’s a fallen world.
Do we remember to pray for our country enough? Pray because America is sometimes a lone beacon in a dark night. Pray because sometimes America is going to hell in a hand basket. Pray because America has people in harm’s way every day. Pray because America has great power, and with that power comes great opportunity for good and for evil. Pray because America is one great experiment in democracy and human rights and righteousness and it’s still up in the air which way that experiment will go. Join in praying for our nation!
America! America!
May God thy gold refine
Till all success be nobleness
And every gain divine!
No comments:
Post a Comment