Psalm 33:12 “Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD; and he people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance.”

Psalm 20:17 “Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name of the LORD our God.”

Jeremiah 9:23-24 ‘Thus saith the LORD, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches: But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the LORD which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and rightesousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the LORD.”

William Ralph Emerson, the second cousin to Ralph Waldo Emerson, wrote the following:

“What makes a nation’s pillars high
And its foundations strong?
What makes it mighty to defy
The foes that round it throng?

It is not gold. Its kingdoms grand
Go down in battle shock;
Its shafts are laid on sinking sand,
Not on abiding rock.

Is it the sword? Ask the red dust
Of empires passed away;
The blood has turned their stones to rust,
Their glory to decay.

And is it pride? Ah, that bright crown
Has seemed to nations sweet;
But God has struck its luster down
In ashes at his feet.

Not gold but only men can make
A people great and strong;
Men who for truth and honor’s sake
Stand fast and suffer long.

Brave men who work while others sleep,
Who dare while others fly…
They build a nation’s pillars deep
And lift them to the sky.”

Emerson is mostly spot on. A nation must never embrace gold, nor sword, nor pride as its pathway to high pillars and strong foundations. And while lauding men who will stand fast and suffer long for truth and honor is an appropriate step, we need to be careful about what we are truly trusting in.

We are not to unduly elevate wisdom, might or riches. Instead, we are to focus on leading lives that understand and know the Lord and surrounding ourselves with people who prioritize the same. The brave men who work while others sleep are to be prominent in our minds as role models and heroes, but our preeminent affection and true source of our strength is to be rooted in faithfully remembering the name of the LORD our God.

PLEASE PRAY FOR AMERICAN CHRISTIANS TO ESCHEW OUR SOCIETY’S FOCUS ON GOLD, SWORD, AND PRIDE, AND INSTEAD FOCUS ON BEING AND FOLLOWING THOSE WHO REMEMBER THE LORD OUR GOD. The LORD delights in that!

NOTE: I won’t be posting next weekend, but please keep praying for our nation and our leaders!