O Say, Can They See?
Rise and Shine for Jesus! \O/
By Pam Iannello (my late mother)
A ministry of New Beginnings Baptist Church
As I was musing over the 4th of July and the meaning behind it, I
decided to read again the life of Francis Scott Key, the man who penned the
words of the Star Spangled Banner. In
spite of the fact you are probably very familiar with it’s content (or should
be!), I am going to include the first verse below, which says:
O say, can you see, by the dawn's early light,
What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming
Whose broad stripes and bright stars, thru the perilous fight,
O'er the ramparts we watched, were so gallantly streaming:
And the rockets red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof through the night, that our flag was still there.
O say, does that star spangled banner yet wave,
O'er the land of the free, and the home of the brave?
A particular portion of that song stood out to me that I’d like us
to consider today…
AND THE ROCKETS RED GLARE,
THE BOMBS BURSTING IN AIR,
GAVE PROOF THROUGH THE NIGHT,
THAT OUR FLAG WAS STILL THERE.
As Christians, when the “bombs burst in the air” of our lives,
when those trials come - do they give proof through the night - proof in the
dark and trying times, that our flag is still there?? What flag, you say? Our Christian flag! Yes, believers have a flag to follow and a
flag to fly - that flag is the testimony of Jesus Christ our Savior! As others watch our lives and observe the
sufferings and persecutions that we experience, the flash of those attacks
should reveal to them that our flag is still flying, that we are fighting back
and staying strong in the midst of our spiritual battles. When the fight is on and the flag is down,
this is evidence of defeat… Ladies, we provide one another hope as we spot our
flags still flying! Years ago there was
a star spangled banner flying high that communicated hope to many a tired and
wounded American soldier dispersed across the battlefield. Today there is yet a
blood-stained banner, a royal banner that offers every Christian soldier hope
until the Lord calls us home or comes back for us! Keep your flag flying high; you could be
responsible for preventing your comrades from abandoning the fight by rousing
loyalty, courage, and strength through your prevailing witness…
Psalm 60:4 (KJV)
Thou
hast given a banner to them that fear thee, that it may be displayed because of
the truth. Selah.
We discover here that a banner or a flag is given by God for us to
display, not to be hidden! A
sacred sign is exhibited for a specific purpose - to send a definite message to
those who gaze upon it, and that important message is truth triumphant! This is
precisely why we must keep our flags flying! God holds His children accountable
for the victory He has given them. Don’t lower the standards; don't let the truth
die… America is in desperate need of a
holy challenge!
Isaiah
59:14 (KJV)
And
judgment is turned away backward, and justice standeth afar off: for truth is
fallen in the street, and equity cannot enter.
The bravest men are usually entrusted with the banner; the fear of
men is not their snare. Are you bravely contending for the gospel?
Ladies, our God promises us victory; He will give success to His Word!
In a moment of silence before the Lord, consider how your Christian testimony
is holding up through the conflicts you have encountered. Are you maintaining
holy standards? Is the flag of truth still flying high in your life, or is it
shot up with holes, no longer waving the same stirring message? Are you a motionless pennant of defeat or
dynamically displaying a life of trust in God?
Unfurl your banner to the breeze with confident joy! The
testimony of Jesus Christ and the testimony of the American flag each inspires
and motivates those who are weary and worn because of the power of their living
testimony…
There's a royal banner given for display
To the soldiers of the King;
As an ensign fair we lift it up today,
While as ransomed ones we sing.
Though the foe may rage and gather as the flood,
Let the standard be displayed;
And beneath it's folds, as soldiers of the Lord,
For the truth be not dismayed.
Over land and sea, wherever men may dwell,
Make the glorious tidings known;
Of the crimson banner now the story tell,
While the Lord shall claim His own.
When the glory dawns - 'tis drawing very near -
It is hastening day by day-
Then before our King the foe shall disappear,
And the cross the world shall sway.
Marching on, Marching on,
For Christ count everything but loss!
And to crown Him King, toil and sing
'Neath the banner of the cross!
Song
2:4 (KJV)
He
brought me to the banqueting house, and his banner over me was love.
Ladies, we've got a flag to follow and I for one am
grateful!! Who would we look to if it
were not for Jesus Christ our Lord, the Greatest Leader of all time? He is a loyal, loving Commander! Who else
could spur us on, motivating us in the face of strong opposition to stay in the
fight for what is right? If it were not for Jesus’ glorious flag to follow we
would not know our life’s purpose!
I sought a flag to follow, a cause for which to stand,
I sought a valiant leader, Who could my love command;
I sought a stirring challenge, Some noble work to try,
To give my life fulfillment, my dreams to satisfy.
I sought a ringing answer for all my doubts inside,
A torch of truth uplifted, My searching steps to guide;
I sought a word of wisdom, A true authority,
I sought to know life's purpose, to solve it's mystery.
I sought for satisfaction, for yearnings deep within,
I sought for full deliverance, from chains of guilt and sin
I sought for peace and pardon, for freedom from my fears
I sought a hope to cling to beyond these passing years.
I found them all in Jesus, the Life, the Truth, the Way;
Beneath His flag I'll take my stand and follow Him today!
These words beautifully express what your flag and my flag waving
in the sky of our lives represent to a lost and dying world. Today people are frantically seeking personal
fulfillment, deliverance, peace and pardon, hope, wisdom, truth, authority,
purpose - all of these things!
Will they find the answer flying high when they look your way? Does your life PROVE to folks that all these
things can be found in Jesus because you have discovered them and then firmly
taken your stand beneath God’s precious flag?? Does the red of your flag
represent the Way of the cross to the lost - through the blood of
Jesus? Does the white of your flag
represent the Truth of the cross to the lost - proving the words of the
Lord are pure words? Does the
blue of your flag represent the Life of the cross to the lost - while
you live presently in this world as a child of the King, certain of your
eternity as royalty? Yes, your life IS a
message of certain impression… But is
it a flag to follow? Where are you
leading those in the sphere of your influence?
May it be straight to the cross of Calvary!
Psalm
20:5 (KJV)
We
will rejoice in thy salvation, and in the name of our God we will set up our
banners: the Lord fulfil all thy petitions.
In an oration delivered before the Washington Society of
Alexandria on February 22, 1812, Francis Scott Key declared:
"The patriot who feels himself in the service of God,
who acknowledges Him in all his ways, has the promise of Almighty direction,
and will find His Word in his greatest darkness, ‘a lantern to his feet and a
lamp unto his paths’. He will therefore seek to establish for his country in
the eyes of the world, such a character as shall make her not unworthy of the
name of a Christian nation."
Like Francis Scott Key, I pray that we as believers would strive
diligently for true godly character of such depth that it would alter and
improve the reputation of our fallen nation; a once great nation that has
plainly turned it's back on God!
Psalm
12:1 (KJV)
Help,
Lord; for the godly man ceaseth; for the faithful fail from among the children
of men.
Whenever you set your eyes upon the American flag, remember that
as Christians we also have a flag to follow and a flag to fly - the
testimony of the Lord Jesus Christ! Follow it, display it, and march on to
victory, bringing countless others with you!
God Bless,
Pam
Isaiah 60:1&2
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