From Sea To Shining Sea
Give peace, O Lord, to those who wait
for you; hear the prayers of your servants
and guide us in the way of justice. (Sir 36:18,19)
Our country was founded upon the principles of liberty and justice. These are the last sentiments of our Pledge of Allegiance where we state that we are “one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”
We will be indivisible if we employ liberty and justice for all.
That is crucial because it is an “all or nothing” kind of proposition. We can only be free if we allow others to live in freedom. We can only have justice if we dispense justice.
These are not brand new concepts that our founding fathers “discovered” for the very first time. These are not trite kinds of sentiments found in a “new age” world.
No.
These are issues that date back to the days long before Christ.
Sentiments of peace and justice were being echoed by the Old Testament prophets who challenged their kings to dispense justice according to the laws of God. The prophets saw quite clearly that the disarray, the unrest, the violence in their own day was in direct proportion to their leaders’ injustices.
The prophets warned their leaders. The prophets warned the people. When the people or the leaders took heed, they would live in peaceful times. When the people or the leaders did not take heed of the call of the prophets, their times were chaotic and far from peaceful.
We celebrate our Independence today. We remember the founding of our country upon the principles of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. We realize that no one can be happy if we do not try to ensure that all can, indeed, be so. We realize that we cannot be happy if we do not cherish and respect life. We realize that we cannot expect justice if we do not live as a just people.
May God bless our country today. May the people of this great nation embrace God’s will, God’s rule. May we prevent injustices perpetrated against others and ensure the right of all people to live in peace and freedom.
God bless America, land that I love!
FAITH ACTION: Take a long, hard look at your life. Are you just in your dealing with others? Do you cherish life and do your best to protect life? Ask God to guide your decisions today.