Thursday, November 24, 2016

Oh give thanks to the Lord, for He is good . . . [though] we have behaved wickedly

Abraham Lincoln's proclamation, October 3, 1863
1 Praise the Lord!
Oh give thanks to the Lord, for He is good;
For His lovingkindness is everlasting.

2 Who can speak of the mighty deeds of the Lord,
Or can show forth all His praise?

3 How blessed are those who keep justice,
Who practice righteousness at all times!

4 Remember me, O Lord, in Your favor toward Your people;
Visit me with Your salvation,

5 That I may see the prosperity of Your chosen ones,
That I may rejoice in the gladness of Your nation,
That I may glory with Your inheritance.

6 We have sinned like our fathers,
We have committed iniquity, we have behaved wickedly.
. . .
44 Nevertheless He looked upon their distress
When He heard their cry;

45 And He remembered His covenant for their sake,
And relented according to the greatness of His lovingkindness.

46 He also made them objects of compassion
In the presence of all their captors.

47 Save us, O Lord our God,
And gather us from among the nations,
To give thanks to Your holy name
And glory in Your praise.

48 Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel,
From everlasting even to everlasting.
And let all the people say, “Amen.”
Praise the Lord!

Psalm 106

4 comments:

MAX Redline said...

Can you imagine the reaction were Lincoln's address given today?

T. D. said...

It really shows how most modern thinkers have no understanding that the basis of the American political system is God's grace and judgment. From "all men are created equal" to "endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights" through Lincoln's belief the slavery was a national sin, the basic premise is that what God thinks about it all and what He does is central.

In nature there is no equality and certainly no unalienable rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. We've been handed a working system that is a jewel in the history of governments and are uninterested in how it was built or how to maintain it.

Yes, Lincoln would be hooted down--as would Jefferson--and even Franklin who called for prayer in the Constitutional Convention.

MAX Redline said...

Hooted down? More like lawsuits from ACLU, Freedom From Religion, and probably PeTA.

T. D. said...

PeTA! You made me chuckle.