Despite what you read in the media, it’s not about race: it’s not about White versus Black or any other people group. It’s about sin. Our national anthem prays:
“America! America!/God shed His grace on thee,/And crown thy good with brotherhood/From sea to shining sea!”
By God shedding His grace, His own power to change those who acknowledge Him, people grow to respect others in spite of racial heritage. He molds us after His own character, the one who “so loved the world” (John 3:16), and imbues us to “crown thy good with brotherhood.”
A brotherhood between the people groups was the dream of Dr. King, which originated from his Bible: “For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him” (Romans 10:12).
No more distinction between Jew and Greek, nor among any other people groups (Galatians 3:28). God unites us, not politics or education. We are united as we turn from our human resources to “call upon Him” and His life-changing help.
America the Beautiful is a prayer imbued with the religious sensibilities of the era. We’ve lost that sensibility. “God mend thine ev’ry flaw,” indeed. The problem with every human endeavor is that each is staffed with sinners. Sin is such that the attempts of government, education, science and technology, business, medicine, the military, and more cannot eradicate it. Only God mends the flaws.
God has full confidence in His grace and power to “crown thy good with brotherhood/From sea to shining sea.” Not by human agency. Be not deceived: Politics does not equal godliness. Republican or Democratic does not equal Christian.
“May God thy gold refine/Till all success be nobleness,/And ev’ry gain divine.” What does success mean to us? Submission to every governmental whim, with every political group, every labor union, and every action committee having its way?
Actually, “nobleness” of human character is the expression of success, and “ev’ry gain divine.” No human arrangement has this aim where God is allowed to work His will in its midst. Only a divine coalition, a surrendered church formed by God, can do this, and has been doing it. The gain “is divine,” that we may be like Him, enjoying the life of God’s Son. You won’t find that pursuit of happiness among the ads.
The church that’s “beautiful for pilgrim feet” as it spreads the good news, even now labors for the good news of brotherhood to spread over all the earth.
“O beautiful for patriot dream/That sees beyond the years.” Full unity will not be finished in our lifetimes, yet the people of God see “beyond the years” when God finishes His work of worldwide brotherhood—when He reigns in His kingdom over all, just as the Bible promises.
