All Nations Under God

All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. Matthew 35:32

On October 11, 1892, Francis Bellamy wrote the original Pledge of Allegiance. Bellamy was a Christian Socialist who spoke in favor of political, social, and economic equality for all. His pledge was published in a popular family magazine at the time called "The Youth’s Companion." To commemorate Columbus Day that year, Bellamy, who was a member of the National Education Association, planned a program for public school children that included a flag raising ceremony and his salute to the flag. It went like this:

At a signal from the Principal the pupils, in ordered ranks, hands to the side, face the Flag. Another signal is given; every pupil gives the flag the military salute -- right hand lifted, palm downward, to a line with the forehead and close to it. Standing thus, all repeat together, slowly, “I pledge allegiance to my Flag and the Republic for which it stands; one Nation indivisible, with Liberty and Justice for all.” At the words, “to my Flag,” the right hand is extended gracefully, palm upward, toward the Flag, and remains in this gesture till the end of the affirmation; whereupon all hands immediately drop to the side.
– From The Youth’s Companion, 65 (1892): 446–447.

The words and the Bellamy salute remained untouched until June 14 (Flag Day), 1923 and 1924. At the National Flag Conference in those years, the American Legion and the Daughters of the American Revolution were instrumental in amending the pledge so it reflected allegiance to only the flag of the Untied States of America.

June 14, 1923

I pledge allegiance to the Flag
of the United States
and to the Republic for which it stands:
one Nation indivisible,
With Liberty and Justice for all.

June 14, 1924

I pledge allegiance to the Flag
of the United States of America
and to the Republic for which it stands:
one Nation indivisible,
With Liberty and Justice for all.

Bellamy disliked these changes (he intended for his pledge to apply to any nation’s flag), but his protests went ignored. By this time, he had been pressured to leave the Baptist ministry because of the congregation's resistance to his socialist sermons.

More than a decade after Bellamy’s death, President Franklin Roosevelt replaced the Bellamy salute, hand outstretched toward the flag, with the gesture of putting the right hand over the heart. This was to avoid confusion since the Bellamy salute was similar to the Nazi salute. On June 22, 1942, Congress declared the Pledge of Allegiance as the official national pledge and established rules for honoring the flag.


Six years later, Louis Bowman, a chaplain for the Illinois Sons of the American Revolution, began adding the words “under God” to the pledge, borrowing them from Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address. This change was strongly supported by the Daughters of the American Revolution and the Knights of Columbus, along with other prominent individuals and organizations. The Knights of Columbus tried repeatedly to get Congress to officially adopt the words, but it was unsuccessful until 1954 when President Dwight Eisenhower listened to a sermon offered by George MacPherson Docherty, a Scottish Presbyterian minister. Docherty’s sermon centered on the merits of adding the words “under God” to the pledge. As President Eisenhower and his family sat in a pew once occupied by Abraham Lincoln, Docherty’s words touched the President’s heart. The very next day, he had Congress working to amend the words, and on June 14, 1954, the final change was made:

I pledge allegiance to the Flag
of the United States of America
and to the Republic for which it stands:
one Nation under God, indivisible,
With Liberty and Justice for all.

Afterward, Eisenhower wrote: These words [“under God”] will remind Americans that despite our great physical strength we must remain humble. They will help us to keep constantly in our minds and hearts the spiritual and moral principles which alone give dignity to man, and upon which our way of life is founded.

It was no accident that God found His way into our national pledge. John 3:16 says: For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” For God so loved the WORLD, not just our country, but every nation on Earth. God is in America, Iran, North Korea, Israel, and everywhere. It may not be obvious to us, but one day He will free the oppressed and gather all nations unto Him.

As we celebrate Independence Day this week, let’s pray for those all around the world who are hoping and fighting for their freedom.

Heavenly Father, we know that You are in all things. We pray for our brothers and sisters around the world who are not free to live life as they choose. Make yourself known to them, Lord, and in your time, free all nations and bring us together in Peace and Love.

Pledge of Allegiance by Red Skelton 1969

On Wings Toward God

"When you pass through the waters I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze because I am the Lord, your God."—Isaiah 43, 2:3

This is a difficult story to write, yet one that needs to be told.

There is one night sound I will always remember, and I pray that God will spare me from ever hearing it again. Unlike the soothing sound of the night trains, it was the most horrifying sound I have ever heard, but just as God is in all things, He was in that sound, and He wanted me to hear it.

It was a warm, July night, almost eleven o'clock, and I had just gone to bed. The bedroom window was open, and I noticed that the night was unusually quiet. There was only the occasional sound of a small plane flying overhead. Our local airport is nearby and a hub for small aircraft, so hearing the sound of planes at night was not unusual.

Every July, the Experimental Aircraft Association hosts an air show in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. The EAA Fly-In attracts aircraft and aviation hobbyists from around the world. It features everything from sophisticated military aircraft to tiny home-built planes. Although our local airport is more than two hundred miles from Oshkosh, it experiences increased activity during this event as planes land to refuel, or pilots stop to rest and have a bite to eat.

The sound came on a Sunday night during the first weekend of the Fly-in. As I lay in bed, I heard a prop plane taxiing on the runway. The gravelly roar of the engine helped me to decide that it was an old military aircraft. These are popular planes for hobbyists. Many fly in and out of our airport, and I had learned to identify their sounds. Soon, I would learn that I was right The plane was a restored World War II Texan on its way back from Oshkosh. The occupants, a father and his adult son had stopped to refuel and to eat a late dinner at a restaurant near the airport. As I heard the plane, they were beginning the last leg of their journey home to Indiana. As it happened, God had another plan; they never made it home.

I heard the plane accelerate on the runway. The engine growled as it took off, but then something went terribly wrong. I was acutely aware that the sounds were not right. The engine sputtered like a lawnmower running out of gas. Then there was silence. For a few endless seconds nothing, then the blunt smack of metal against concrete. As I lay in my bed frozen with disbelief God spoke to my heart. His voice was calm, but urgent. "Pray for their souls.” I prayed then that the souls of those on board would be welcomed into the Kingdom of Heaven. It was not my prayer, but a prayer that the Holy Spirit prayed through me.

The night was still. I heard nothing for what seemed like forever, and I wondered if I had really heard a plane crash. I'd almost convinced myself that I'd imagined it. But then sirens wailed in the darkness. Soon they were everywhere rushing toward the scene: police cars, ambulances, fire trucks. I got out of bed and turned on the local television station where the news desk was reporting that a plane had crashed into a two-story apartment building near the southeast runway. The plane and the building were on fire, and it wasn't clear how many lives were in danger, or lost. It was strange, but in the middle of hearing about the disaster I felt that the need for prayer was gone. I was shaken by what happened, but I sensed that nothing more could be done. As night turned to day and the story unfolded, I discovered why.

Within seconds after the plane crashed into the building, it was fully engulfed in flames. Two lives were lost, those of the father and his son. At the instant I prayed, just after I'd heard that terrible sound, their souls were making the journey from life here on Earth into eternal life with God. The plane crashed into the upper landing of the north stairwell of the building, completely destroying it. Miraculously, nobody was in or near the stairwell when it happened. Two upper apartments were destroyed. Again, miraculously no one was at home. The other occupants of the building got out safely. Although there was fire, the threat to life was no longer there as I'd watched the event unfold on television.

The local newspaper ran a poignant story about the father and son and the family they left behind. As I read it, I felt connected with them. I have no idea what their religious beliefs were, or if the men even knew the Lord, but in the last seconds of their lives I know that God was with them as He told me to pray for their souls.

I learned a lot that night about God being in all things. When bad things happen, we find ourselves questioning whether God is with us at all. We often ask why He allows such suffering. When we ask, we might come away disappointed that we haven't received from Him some sort of logical explanation. I don't know why bad things happen, but I do know that on that hot July night God was with the men on that plane; and I know that it was His will that they be prayed for. That alone is enough to convince me that God is with us now, always, and especially when we leave this earth and enter into His loving presence.

Kind Heavenly Father: Help us through the bad times, always lift us toward you on wings of eagles so that we might be closer to your love.