How great is the Lord, how deserving of praise, in the city of our God, which sits on his holy mountain! It is high and magnificent; the whole earth rejoices to see it! Mount Zion, the holy mountain, is the city of the great King! God himself is in Jerusalem’s towers, revealing himself as its defender. The kings of the earth joined forces and advanced against the city. But when they saw it, they were stunned; they were terrified and ran away. They were gripped with terror and writhed in pain like a woman in labor. You destroyed them like the mighty ships of Tarshish shattered by a powerful east wind. We had heard of the city’s glory, but now we have seen it ourselves— the city of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. It is the city of our God; he will make it safe forever. Interlude O God, we meditate on your unfailing love as we worship in your Temple. As your name deserves, O God, you will be praised to the ends of the earth. Your strong right hand is filled with victory. Let the people on Mount Zion rejoice. Let all the towns of Judah be glad because of your justice. Go, inspect the city of Jerusalem. Walk around and count the many towers. Take note of the fortified walls, and tour all the citadels, that you may describe them to future generations. For that is what God is like. He is our God forever and ever, and he will guide us until we die.
Psalms 48:1-14 NLT
This psalm is very patriotic, and it gives us a chance to reflect on patriotism. Loving your country is not the same as loving God, and sometimes those two values can be at conflict. We must remember that the ancient nation of Israel was (at its heart) a theocracy, a nation called by God to represent Him and bless the world. The nation of Israel no longer plays this role, nor does any nation. This was clearly seen in the early days of the Church. The Christians were considered traitors to Israel because they followed Christ’s way of peace (not working for a military victory against Rome). They were considered traitors to the Roman Empire because they would not worship Caesar as a god. Our first citizenship is in the Kingdom of God (Philippians 3:20).
But this psalm reminds us that patriotism is not bad. It is not wrong to love your country, love what is good in your culture, or be proud of the good things that God has done among your people. We can love America, and as a citizen of heaven (and America) work to make America the best country it can be. We can support our troops even if we disagree with some of our foreign policy. We can work for economic opportunities for all even as we push for fairness and a hard work ethic. We can pray for our legislators and president even when (or especially when) we don’t agree with all their decisions. God wants us to be free—not to do whatever we want but free to do what is right.
As a citizen of heaven, how is God asking you to make your country better? Will you add praying for your country and leaders part of your daily prayers?
