"But we Your people, the sheep of Your pasture,
will give thanks to You forever;
from generation to generation
Matthew Henry:
"They had no
hopes except from God's mercies, His tender
mercies."
Commentary:
Let us step aside momentarily from the bitter USA
Political and Geo-Political scene to remember this Holiday; for it is a holy day,remembering and giving thanks for the millions of men and
women who have died recently, and in the almost 3 centuries since Americans
started fighting and dying for this glorious Christian experiment called the
United States of America.
Today, we are held captive by people
and forces who despise America and would rather have us come under the rule of
godless tyrants who would love to strip away our liberties which Thomas
Jefferson says, "are the gift of God" (please see his entire quote
below). Actually, in the
deep recesses of their wicked hearts, they would love to eliminate God from our
thinking and deliberations since, in their opinion, He either doesn't exist,
agrees with them, or is irrelevant.
However, this weekend we have the opportunity to
reaffirm and thank God for
creating such an "Exceptional Country" which still has the God of
Jesus Christ at its center. Jesus came to set us free, not just from our sins but
also from petty tyrants.
Below are some quotations which are devastatingly
true:
"Can the liberties of a nation be thought secure when we have removed their only firm
basis, a conviction in the minds of the people that these liberties are of the
gift of God? That they are not to be violated
but with His wrath?" ~ Thomas Jefferson
"Patriotism consists not in waving the flag, but in striving that our country shall be righteous as
well as strong." ~ James
Bryce, British Historian, late 1800's
"Courage is contagious. When a brave
man takes a stand, the spines of others are often stiffened." ~ Billy Graham
"The liberties of our country, the freedom of our civil Constitution, are worth defending at all
hazards; and it is our
duty to defend them against
all attacks." ~ Samuel
Adams
"Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or
ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support
any friend, oppose any foe to assure the survival and the success of
liberty." ~ John F. Kennedy
"But the freedom that they fought for, and the
country grand they wrought for, the
greatest glory of a free-born people is
to transmit that freedom to their children."~ William Havard, Welsh
Chaplain, WWI
As Billy Graham writes, "Courage" is key! As
we contemplate voting for people who will take away our liberties or hand them
over to men and women who hate the God of the Bible, we must heed the
exhortation of President Kennedy to "oppose
any foe to assure the survival and the success of liberty".
Primarily, our involvement usually takes the form
of PRAYER. ACTION is also an essential weapon in this
struggle. Remember the
fallen and thank God for creating the USA. Pray for God's Intervention in these perilous times.
In Jesus' Name,
Harry Valentine, Capitol Hill Prayer Alert (CHPA), Founder/Publisher