REFLECTIONS

Patriotic Love

Let There Be Peace On Earth. My eyes moisten each time I hear this beautiful song. And as we prepare for the celebration of our country’s birthday just ahead, it is also a timely prayer. The world is not at peace and our country is in a state of unrest as it faces economic challenges, threats from hostile nations, and critical choices of new leadership. Indeed, I do pray for peace on earth; but the song reaches beyond that for me.

The melody radiates warmth, community, and love. In it I see the image of my mom and dad surrounded by untrained voices of a small church congregation as they fill the air with those hopeful words of patriotic love—the peace and harmony our nation once shared. The sounds bring tears to my eyes because I long for the peace on earth that the song prays for. I pray for God to bless America again.

I reach into my memories when God’s presence seemed closer in our daily lives. I reach back to a time when money, power, and pleasure were not the gods of our nation, and the true God still held his place on his throne. Perhaps we took those times for granted and forgot to pass them on.

So I pray, gracious and loving God, that as you look down on the world you created, in your grace may you grant us forgiveness, in your power grant us healing, and with your ineffable love grant us your peace. I ask that you bless America again; for you to shed your grace on our nation so your glory will reign from sea to shining sea. I pray, loving God, for your renewed presence in our cities, our schools, and our hearts as the united people that we were when our country was born. I pray that our country might again become a nation under God reaching out in patriotic love as a vessel for peace on earth. I pray that we remember to pass it on from generation to generation.

And I pray the words of the beautiful song,

“that with God as our Father,

brothers all are we,

let us walk with our brothers in perfect harmony.

I pray that we take each moment

and live each moment in peace eternally.

Let there be peace on earth.

And let it begin with me.”

In Jesus name we pray. Amen

You are the light of the world,

Richard +

www.reflectingthesavior.org.

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