Lessons from a national anthem

It came out of a war in 1814, the national anthem for the United States. Francis Scott Key had sailed under truce to a British warship to seek the released of an American civilian. He argued his friend’s case successfully, but their departure was ill-timed. Getting ready to attack Fort McHenry near Baltimore’s harbor, the British refused to let them sail away.


I imagine Key squinting through the smoky darkness as night fell on the battle. His country’s flag still flew over Fort McHenry. But each thunder from a British cannon intensified his concern. He paced the ship’s deck all night, praying, wondering. But by the “dawn’s early light,” he saw the flag still waving. Pulling an envelope from his pocket, the young lawyer wrote four verses. “Oh say, can you see, by the dawn’s early light,” it began, “What so proudly we hailed…” The poem focused on the flag symbolizing victory.

Today, we’re apt to focus not on national pride, but on national shame. Desperate battles rage: spiritual apathy, immorality, drugs, crime, homelessness, and hedonistic pleasure-seeking.

But I’m grateful for men and women willing to stand between their homes and the desolation of these wars. Seeking to return this nation to purity and truth, they recognize that the ultimate cure for national disintegration is hearts changed by Jesus Christ.

My appreciation for them is renewed every week as we share the same pews and prayer rails. They’re not unapproachable heroes; they’re people committed to the healing of the nation, believing that what they do will make a difference.

A few pews over is a woman, now widowed with adopted, grown children, who for decades has led our local pro-life advocacy group. Proverbs 29:2 strikes close to her heart: “When the righteous thrive, the people rejoice; when the wicked rule, the people groan.”

Throughout the congregation I spot mothers who believe that sustaining the biblical world view means intentional ministry with and through their children. Some are part of organized prayer teams on behalf of schools and teachers.

On my left, near the front, regularly sits a retired legislator. During his terms of office he brought the principles of godly living to government. In the often-charged partisan atmosphere, he was known as a peacemaker.

On my right, just a few pews up, sits a civil engineer who retired to extensive mission consulting work and leadership in men’s ministries.

Such people are among thousands who make me proud of my homeland. They’re acting decisively as citizens of both God’s kingdom and of America. One by one they’re making an impact.

Christ told us to “occupy till I come” (Luke 19:13 KJV). No matter their hometown, those doing so are the true patriots. They’re the “Key” people, not pacing the deck in worry, but heralding the dawn. Their victory symbol is not a battered flag but a splintered cross that changed the world.

Revised and  condensed from my article, “Celebrating America,” published July 1994 in Light and Life Magazine.
(c) copyright 1994.