Shine as Lights in the World
“In God We Trust. In God Alone” is a beautiful patriotic song about our country’s need to depend on God. It was written by a young lawyer in our church, Adam Morgan.
And Adam‘s in good company because 200 years ago, an American lawyer in his early 30s wrote a patriotic song where he referenced our country’s need to depend on God.
America had declared independence from Britain almost 40 years earlier. We were now a sovereign nation. But in conflict once again with Britain in the War of 1812.
As an American lawyer, Francis Scott Key, was sent out to a British warship to negotiate a prisoner exchange. But at supper he overheard their plans to attack Baltimore,, so he was held captive. So the “bombs bursting in air” were British cannonballs that Key watched from the ship he was on being shot at the US Fort McHenry.
It was rainy, so the flag he saw during the night was the smaller US “storm flag.” But in the morning, they raised the larger US flag. Key was so inspired by the sight, he wrote a poem about this “Star-Spangled Banner” that 100 years later became our national anthem.
The song has 4 stanzas. We sing the 1st at ball games.
And occasionally hear the 4th that says, “And this be our motto: ‘In God is our trust.’” Which became our nation’s motto in 1956.