sanc·ti·fy [sangk-tuh-fahy]–verb (used with object), -fied, -fy·ing. 1. to make holy; set apart as sacred; consecrate.
It’s a big week in the US as we vote for a new president and I wasn’t sure exactly how to approach my blog posting. As I sat on the edge of my bed, ready to start the day, I looked at my bookshelf of “yet-to-be-read” books and my eye stopped on “A Man Called Peter” by Catherine Marshall, a collection of her husband’s writings, published in the 1950’s. I opened up to a random page where Marshall is talking about love of country. Immediately I was drawn in as the thoughts of what today will bring have me humbled and hopeful no matter who is elected (and trying to focus on who is really in charge!)
I love the title of this prayer because it gets right to the heart of the approach anyone might take who has a love of their country, whether it’s in the US or elsewhere. Sanctify…set apart my (our) love of country so that it is sacred and guided by You, Father and not by my (our) own interests and hopes.
Sanctify Our Love of Country
Lord God of Heaven, who has so lavishly blessed this land, make us,
Your people, to be humble.
Keep us ever aware that the good things we enjoy have come from You,
that You lent them to us.
Impress upon our smugness the knowledge that we are not owners – but stewards; remind us, less we become filled with conceit, that one day a reckoning will be required of us.
Sanctify our love of country, that our boasting may be turned into humility and our pride into a ministry to men everywhere.
Help us to make this God’s own country by living like God’s own people.
Amen.
Peter Marshall, from “A Man Called Peter,” 1951
Photo note: this picture was taken by my bro-in-law on Mount Haleakala. If you ever have the chance to watch the sunrise at its summit, it’s a wondrous thing.
4 comments:
Peter Marshall lived in the dorm that I would (much later!) live in at Columbia Seminary. There was kind of a running joke about who would get Peter Marshall's room each year. Ah, the celebrity of it all . . .
Amen. Thanks Mary for reminding us today who really is in charge. I would probably be suspicious of any candidate who proclaims that he/she knows what God wants for our land. Still, it would be encouraging to see in their lifestyle that they might have a habit of seeking His will. The only snag is that we might not like the result if they followed through. Didn’t I hear sometime in the past that the our way of life is not negotiagible?
That's pretty cool, Becky. I guess it's kind of like that whole "10 degrees of separation" game!
Thanks, Fergus. Non-negotiable: there's something to chew on and worthy to spend time thinking about. "We are weak but He is strong" Thank goodness.
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