That little voice of discouragement and defeat is nothing to me. And if you’re a political writer, as I am, you’ve probably heard that nasty little voice whispering (screaming?) in your ear more times than you care to count.
The toughest job we have as conscientious, political writers is putting a damper on that little demon-voice and keep plugging away on the computer, dispensing what we believe to be the truth, and having somebody, sometime, somewhere give our written oratory a read, and then write us and give us a heartening response to it.
The last article I wrote: Who Stole the Last Stanza of Our National Anthem, evoked just such a response, and with your kind indulgence, I’d like to share it with you.
My article made the point that the last stanza (the fourth) of the Star Spangled Banner is conspicuous by its invisibility. It is seldom if ever seen or sung; thus few people, if any, know that the fourth stanza of the Anthem is the only one that contains the word, God.
My contention was that if there are dark forces trying to bring America down, the very first thing they would need to do—before they usher in dictatorial tyranny— is to remove all references to God, the source (according to U. S. Constitution) of our liberty and individual freedoms.
And aren’t we seeing that today, in our schools, our institutions, our public buildings, any place and any time the word God appears?
When Joyce K. read my article, being a devout Christian and a devoted Bible reader, her letter was heartfelt and enlightening. Heartfelt, in that she fears for her children and grandchildren in the societal destruction and spiritual devastation of our great nation; Enlightening, in that the Bible reveals that our predicament is nothing new, and has happened again and again through the millennia.
Joyce wrote me of one such “familiar” happening, which, if you care to, you can read in its entirety in the Bible, 1 Samuel 28:1-22. In essence, Samuel was old, so he appointed his sons to be judges. But his sons were greedy and immoral. So the people said to Samuel, “Give us a king like all the other nations have.” Being confused, Samuel went to God and asked Him for advice, and God answered, “Do as they say, Samuel, for I am the one they are rejecting, not you. They have forsaken me and followed other gods. And now they are giving you the same treatment. Do as they ask, but warn them about what it will be like to have a king.”
Samuel went to the people and told them what God had said: The king will conscript your sons, he will send them into battle, others will be slaves without pay, he will take your daughters from you, he will give the best of your vineyards to his friends, he will take a tenth of your harvest and give it to his favorites, he will demand a tenth of your flocks, you will shed bitter tears but God will not help you.
But the people refused to listen to Samuel: “Even so, we still want a king,” they said. When Samuel told this to God, the Lord said, “Then do as they say and give them a king.”
That’s the answer, Joyce writes. God must be replaced in order to have our “king.” God must obliterated before a tyrannical monarch can take his place.
This, as you see, is exactly what is happening again, today. And to say the least, it is very discouraging for us who try to write factually and comprehensively about such things.
But wait a minute. Joyce wrote me a second letter. “”I may be in the choir to many of you writers, Jim, but NEVER, NEVER stop—if a little flows through to us it’s better than nothing at all. God gave each of us special gifts. Some can write, some can encourage, and some can provoke thoughts in others just by passing your writings around. I have many people that I pass things on to and hope that some day their eyes will be opened.”
Fellow writers, I agree that being shut down, laughed at, or ignored as we often are, we are talking to the choir most of the time. But take it from an avid reader, we’re needed, and you don’t have to be a Bible reader to understand and appreciate that. Thank you, Joyce.
Related article:
Who Stole the Last Stanza of Our National Anthem
“Published originally at EtherZone.com : republication allowed with this notice and hyperlink intact.”