Unchained Melodye

America’s beauty has been much more than outward. The purple mountains which majestically rise from the planes and fields as you ride through our country’s amazing road system are indeed stunning. But for a time, the beauty was not just skin deep. Many of the heroes & heroines we read of in history – the ones who loved their country more than their lives – sincerely valued compassion, caring, and charity more than mere existence. Though there were glaring missteps, I can’t help but notice there seemed to be an awareness & acknowledgment of the long-lasting rewards of genuine brotherhood.
That was then.

The song we sing says:
“America! America! May God thy gold refine till all success be nobleness, and every gain divine.”
If the writer is alluding to Malachi 3, it seems she hopes God will so purify the desires and actions of Americans that any success Americans might have would be noble and acceptable to God; not personal nor selfish, but excellent in every way and intended for the benefit of others. That is certainly divine gain.

In researching the song, I read that these were the original lyrics:
“America, America!
God shed His grace on Thee, ‘til selfish gain no longer stain the banner of the free!” 
If so, then the author most assuredly had a more selfless America in mind.

Because I am ultimately a citizen of an entirely different realm, I am not a gloom & doom American. No matter what, as a believer in Jesus Christ I know that I know ‘it’s gonna be OK’! But I also believe the very soul of our nation is at stake in these days. There was a time when the lines weren’t so blurry. The deeply held beliefs of virtue, godliness, and God’s providence weren’t just for platform or performance. There was something below the surface that held us together. Maybe it’s as simple as “we got comfortable.” It possible that the further removed we are from the battles, the more we have lost sight of our need for the sustaining grace of God.

I don’t know the answer to the “how?” That is, how we got here and how we can get better. But as I listened several times in the last couple days to the lyrics of the song, I can’t help but think it’s not going to be made right as long as selfishness rules the day. The choice to be the difference is mine to make.

So, again today I declare my allegiance to God, the One who has shown us the most excellent way.

“Lord, You have been our refuge in every generation. Before the mountains were born, before You gave birth to the earth and the world, 

from eternity to eternity, you are God. 

You return mankind to the dust, saying, ‘Return, descendants of Adam.’ For in Your sight a thousand years are like yesterday that passes by, like a few hours of the night.

Our lives last seventy years or, if we are strong, eighty years. Even the best of them are struggle and sorrow; indeed, they pass quickly and we fly away. 

Teach us to number our days carefully so that we may develop wisdom in our hearts. Lord  — how long? Turn and have compassion on Your servants. Satisfy us in the morning with Your faithful love so that we may shout with joy and be glad all our days. Make us rejoice for as many days as You have humbled us, for as many years as we have seen adversity. Let Your work be seen by Your servants, and Your splendor by their children.”
‭‭Psalm‬ ‭90‬

ONLY ONE LIFE ‘TWILL SOON BE PAST

ONLY WHAT’S DONE FOR CHRIST WILL LAST