As I was musing over the 4th of July and the meaning behind it, I decided to read again the life of Francis Scott Key, the man who penned the words of the Star Spangled Banner. In spite of the fact you are probably very familiar with it’s content (or should be!), I am going to include the first verse below, which says:
O say, can you see, by the dawn's early light,
What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming
Whose broad stripes and bright stars, thru the perilous fight,
O'er the ramparts we watched, were so gallantly streaming:
And the rockets red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof through the night, that our flag was still there.
O say, does that star spangled banner yet wave,
O'er the land of the free, and the home of the brave?
A particular portion of that song stood out to me that I’d like us to consider today…
AND THE ROCKETS RED GLARE,
THE BOMBS BURSTING IN AIR,
GAVE PROOF THROUGH THE NIGHT,
THAT OUR FLAG WAS STILL THERE.
As Christians, when the “bombs burst in the air” of our lives, when those trials come - do they give proof through the night - proof in the dark and trying times, that our flag is still there?? What flag, you say? Our Christian flag! Yes, believers have a flag to follow and a flag to fly - that flag is the testimony of Jesus Christ our Savior! As others watch our lives and observe the sufferings and persecutions that we experience, the flash of those attacks should reveal to them that our flag is still flying, that we are fighting back and staying strong in the midst of our spiritual battles. When the fight is on and the flag is down, this is evidence of defeat… Ladies, we provide one another hope as we spot our flags still flying! Years ago there was a star spangled banner flying high that communicated hope to many a tired and wounded American soldier dispersed across the battlefield. Today there is yet a blood-stained banner, a royal banner that offers every Christian soldier hope until the Lord calls us home or comes back for us! Keep your flag flying high; you could be responsible for preventing your comrades from abandoning the fight by rousing loyalty, courage, and strength through your prevailing witness…
Psalm 60:4 (KJV)
Thou hast given a banner to them that fear thee, that it may be displayed
because of the truth. Selah.
We discover here that a banner or a flag is given by God for us to display, not to be hidden! A sacred sign is exhibited for a specific purpose - to send a definite message to those who gaze upon it, and that important message is truth triumphant! This is precisely why we must keep our flags flying! God holds His children accountable for the victory He has given them. Don’t lower the standards; don't let the truth die… America is in desperate need of a holy challenge!
Isaiah 59:14 (KJV)
And judgment is turned away backward, and justice standeth afar off: for
truth is fallen in the street, and equity cannot enter.
The bravest men are usually entrusted with the banner; the fear of men is not their snare. Are you bravely contending for the gospel? Ladies, our God promises us victory; He will give success to His Word! In a moment of silence before the Lord, consider how your Christian testimony is holding up through the conflicts you have encountered. Are you maintaining holy standards? Is the flag of truth still flying high in your life, or is it shot up with holes, no longer waving the same stirring message? Are you a motionless pennant of defeat or dynamically displaying a life of trust in God? Unfurl your banner to the breeze with confident joy! The testimony of Jesus Christ and the testimony of the American flag each inspires and motivates those who are weary and worn because of the power of their living testimony…
There's a royal banner given for display
To the soldiers of the King;
As an ensign fair we lift it up today,
While as ransomed ones we sing.
Though the foe may rage and gather as the flood,
Let the standard be displayed;
And beneath it's folds, as soldiers of the Lord,
For the truth be not dismayed.
Over land and sea, wherever men may dwell,
Make the glorious tidings known;
Of the crimson banner now the story tell,
While the Lord shall claim His own.
When the glory dawns - 'tis drawing very near -
It is hastening day by day-
Then before our King the foe shall disappear,
And the cross the world shall sway.
Marching on, Marching on,
For Christ count everything but loss!
And to crown Him King, toil and sing
'Neath the banner of the cross!
Song 2:4 (KJV)
He brought me to the banqueting house, and his banner over me was love.
Ladies, we've got a flag to follow and I for one am grateful!! Who would we look to if it were not for Jesus Christ our Lord, the Greatest Leader of all time? He is a loyal, loving Commander! Who else could spur us on, motivating us in the face of strong opposition to stay in the fight for what is right? If it were not for Jesus’ glorious flag to follow we would not know our life’s purpose!
I sought a flag to follow, a cause for which to stand,
I sought a valiant leader, Who could my love command;
I sought a stirring challenge, Some noble work to try,
To give my life fulfillment, my dreams to satisfy.
I sought a ringing answer for all my doubts inside,
A torch of truth uplifted, My searching steps to guide;
I sought a word of wisdom, A true authority,
I sought to know life's purpose, to solve it's mystery.
I sought for satisfaction, for yearnings deep within,
I sought for full deliverance, from chains of guilt and sing
I sought for peace and pardon, for freedom from my fears
I sought a hope to cling to beyond these passing years.
I found them all in Jesus, the Life, the Truth, the Way;
Beneath His flag I'll take my stand and follow Him today!
These words beautifully express what your flag and my flag waving in the sky of our lives represent to a lost and dying world. Today people are frantically seeking personal fulfillment, deliverance, peace and pardon, hope, wisdom, truth, authority, purpose - all of these things! Will they find the answer flying high when they look your way? Does your life PROVE to folks that all these things can be found in Jesus because you have discovered them and then firmly taken your stand beneath God’s precious flag?? Does the red of your flag represent the Way of the cross to the lost - through the blood of Jesus? Does the white of your flag represent the Truth of the cross to the lost - proving the words of the Lord are pure words? Does the blue of your flag represent the Life of the cross to the lost - while you live presently in this world as a child of the King, certain of your eternity as royalty? Yes, your life IS a message of certain impression… But is it a flag to follow? Where are you leading those in the sphere of your influence? May it be straight to the cross of Calvary!
Psalm 20:5 (KJV)
We will rejoice in thy salvation, and in the name of our God we will set
up our banners: the Lord fulfil all thy petitions.
In an oration delivered before the Washington Society of Alexandria on February 22, 1812, Francis Scott Key declared:
"The patriot who feels himself in the service of God, who acknowledges Him in all his ways, has the promise of Almighty direction, and will find His Word in his greatest darkness, ‘a lantern to his feet and a lamp unto his paths’. He will therefore seek to establish for his country in the eyes of the world, such a character as shall make her not unworthy of the name of a Christian nation."
Like Francis Scott Key, I pray that we as believers would strive diligently for true godly character of such depth that it would alter and improve the reputation of our fallen nation; a once great nation that has plainly turned it's back on God!
Psalm 12:1 (KJV)
Help, Lord; for the godly man ceaseth; for the faithful fail from among
the children of men.
Whenever you set your eyes upon the American flag, remember that as Christians we also have a flag to follow and a flag to fly - the testimony of the Lord Jesus Christ! Follow it, display it, and march on to victory, bringing countless others with you!
God Bless,
Pam
Isaiah 60:1&2
Copyright 2000 Pamela A. Iannello
Revised 2004
