On Being Blessed

There is a song that was written with great intentions and has been loved over the past several years.  It is revived when there is a crisis in our land such as 9/11 and on Memorial Day quite often.  We all, including me, know the lyrics to the chorus and sing along quite loudly, even when we cannot carry a tune:

And I’m proud to be an American,
where at least I know I’m free.
And I wont forget the men who died,
who gave that right to me.
And I gladly stand up,
next to you and defend her still today.
‘ Cause there ain’t no doubt I love this land,
God bless the USA.

There is nothing wrong with loving our country.  We should, by all means, as it was a gift to us from God almighty.  Our forefathers wanted the right to worship God in freedom rather than being told how to do so, what denomination they had to attend and what they were to believe, even when it didn't match up with God's Word exactly.  They left their homeland where they had been born and reared; the land they had grown to love, for a country of which they had heard vague reports.  They left family, friends, home....How lonely they must have felt, but their hearts were determined to be allowed to serve God freely and fully, so they boarded a ship that would claim some of their lives.  They knew the probability of lives lost, yet their love of and faith in God kept them going.
Things have changed, many believe for the better.  However, the problem we as a nation have fallen into is pride in the land.  We sometimes act as if this country is our god.  We have declared pride a strength and humility a weakness and have begun to laugh at anyone who cries out for us to go back to our roots of faith and trust in almighty God.  We tend to think that because we are Americans we are indestructible.
I am personally very thankful to the men and women who place their very lives on the line to protect this nation.  My heart cries out in love and admiration for their dedication to the task.  However, I realize that without God in their midst, they can do nothing and their lives may be forfeit.  I do not want to hear about or see this take place, so I pray for them that God would move in their lives to bring them to the understanding that they need to call upon His name for strength and wisdom in each and every situation that arises.  May they depend on Him for victory in their own personal lives even more so than in battle, though I desire victory for them there as well.
If we would all turn our hearts back to realizing that everything we have is a gift from God, quit demanding blessing upon our nation because it is so great, but instead humbly ask for grace, forgiveness, wisdom and understanding in love out of respect for the gift we have been given, repent of pride in country and become humble toward the God Who gave it to us, then we become automatically blessed.

  "Though the LORD is on high, he looks upon the lowly, but the proud he knows from afar."  Psalm 138:6

Lord, make us a humble people.  Keep us from pride and come close to us.  We, Your people, desire to be close to You and have You with us at every turn.  Thank You for giving us this country to dwell in in safety and freedom, but help us remember that these things are a gift from You and not from the land itself.  Help us depend on You for deliverance rather than the strength of mankind and protect the men and women who place their lives in Your hands in order to maintain freedom for us.  Grant them understanding and wisdom in every circumstance.  Grant them personal victories in their walk with You as well as strength and determination to do all that must be done in order to maintain victory for freedom in this country.  In Jesus' name.