By Pastor Steve Nickodemus

Oh, Beautiful for Spacious Skies…

You can listen to today’s devotion by clicking this SoundCloud link.

“Let them praise the name of the Lord!  For he commanded and they were created.”
Psalm 148:5 English Standard Version

You know the song: “O beautiful for spacious skies, for amber waves of grain, for purple mountain majesties above the fruited plain!  America!  America!  God shed his grace on thee…”

This song is a prayer to God on behalf of our beloved country.  A prayer acknowledging that the Lord has made all things and preserves them, that He has given us not only wonderful natural resources, but also breathtakingly beautiful landscapes.  Majestic mountains and fertile plains, spacious skies and shining seas are gifts that we did not earn or deserve, given by God freely out of His grace.

The prayer/song not only acknowledges God’s goodness and blessing upon us as a nation but also asks God to “crown thy good with brotherhood”.  What does that mean?  That as we receive the good gifts of God that we do not deserve, as blessed people, we would bless others with honor and respect and love, no matter where they come from.  Too often we pretend that we deserve the riches God has graciously given to us and so hoard those riches and act in entitled and privileged ways.  We look down on others as not deserving of the good things that we have received.

How ungrateful and selfish and proud we can be!  How unloving and mean spirited we often are!  Let us repent of our selfishness, thank God for what He has freely given to us, and love others as He has loved us!

Lord, forgive us for our ungratefulness and thanklessness.  We thank you for the wonderful gifts you have given us in this country. Open our hearts to your grace and mercy in Jesus Christ our Lord, and give us your love for others. Amen.

Copyright Holy Cross Lutheran Church Colorado Springs, Colorado