“God Bless the USA”
“Happy is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people whom he has chosen as his heritage.”
Psalm 33:12
Many of you who read this may not get these references, but thinking about this verse makes me think of all the snarky, sarcastic, satirical cartoons that I amuse myself by watching. You probably have heard of these shows, and probably cannot stand them - programs like “The Simpsons” or “South Park.” These, and many other similar shows, are animated programs, but made for an adult audience. Their primary audience is people like me, who grew up watching cartoons on weekday afternoons and Saturday mornings. But these programs take the characteristic Saturday-morning-cartoon style, and turn it on its’ head, harpooning cartoons as well as current events.
The reason I bring this up is because in these cartoons, slogans like, “God Bless the USA” are usually spoken by a particular kind of character. This type of characterization is shown most clearly in one “South Park” episode called “I’m A Little Bit Country” (originally aired on 4-9-03).
This episode satirizes the rise of both supporters and protestors of the war in Iraq in early 2003. The protestors are all alike: outspoken, forceful of their own views, claiming their right of protest. They take drastic actions for protest, including burning a flag. They are called, by their opponents, unpatriotic, hippies, and un-American traitors. They call themselves “rational.”
The supporters of the war all all alike as well: they speak with Southern accents, generally all men, and threaten violence to those who disagree. They are called “rednecks” by their opponents, and call themselves “patriotic.”
In cartoons like this episode, slogans like “God bless the USA” are used by the war supporters as if it were the defense of their position. Almost as if God were leading the USA into the war.
I wonder if ancient Israel had the same disagreements. Psalm 33 is a victory and praise song for God, who thwarted the nation’s enemies. “A king is not saved by his great army; a warrior is not delivered by his great strength. The war horse is a vain hope for victory, and by its great might it cannot save” (Psalm 33:16-17).
This psalm was written by a people who knew the horrors of war. They saw war and destruction first hand many, many times. Situated geographically between Egypt to the South and the empries of Babylon, Assyria, Alexander, and finally Rome to the North, the land of Israel was constantly watching mighty empires wage war through their backyards!
And the Israelite people’s history is not without their own warfare. They entered the land by defeating in pitched battles the indegenous people. Throughout their time there, before the Babylonian exile and the ensuing diaspora, the Israelites fought with other kingdoms and between their two kingdoms many times.
But in thanksgiving to God, the psalmist writes, “Happy is the nation whose God is the Lord…” He did not write, “Safe is the nation…” or “Always-winning is the nation…” But he wrote (in a word that can be translated as either “happy” or “blessed”) happy is this nation.
This is different from our asking God to bless us on our endeavors (which we should do, and accept that God’s will is done with or without our prayer for it - see the third petition of the Lord’s Prayer in the Small Catechism). The psalmist cries out for us to recognize the blessing that God so richly gives us even in times of war nearby or far away.
The slogan “God Bless the USA” should never mean that we wish God to bless our nation at the expense of any other nation. In fact, we should be praying for countries where war is close, for those are the people who need God’s deliverance. “God Bless the USA” should always be a call for us to recognize the infinite blessings we recieve from God’s hands, even in times of war, disease, or financial insecurity. “Our soul waits for the Lord; he is our help and shield. Our heart is glad in him, because we trust in his holy name. Let your steadfast love, O Lord, be upon us, even as we hope in you” (Psalm 33:20-22).
God surely blesses us in the USA, and God surely blesses all people, for God has chosen to bestow blessing on every one. “God gives daily bread, even without prayer, to all people, though sinful, but we ask in this prayer that he will help us to realize this and to receive our daily bread with thanks” (Fourth Ppetition, Lord’s Prayer, Small Catechism).
I, of course, enjoyed the South Park episode for its humor and ability to take a serious issue and make me rethink the parameters of the usual debate. But it’s distinction between those who supported the decision to go to war in Iraq and those who protested that decision was quite stilted and stereotypical (that was, of course, for humor’s sake, so I don’t fault them too much). What we need more of in this country is the ability to see around the stereotypes we have built and to discuss the big, important questions in a way that will allow us to “thrive and prosper,” as the writers of South Park decided was the goal of the debate anyway.
And those of us whose faith resides in the blood of Jesus Christ can remember every day that God indeed blesses us, as God blesses this world that was created through the Word, and sustained every day, every minute, every second, by that word. Should God take the blessings away, we would surely cease to exist. And so we pray, like Tiny Tim in “A Christmas Tale:”
“God bless us, everyone. God bless us indeed.”