PK PODIUM
MORE THAN WORDS SEE THE GOODNESS IS GOD’S GLORIOUS LAND BY KIRK GILES
G
od keep our land—glorious and free. These words are more than lyrics to a song; they’re a prayer to God for the country in which we are privileged to live. It’s common knowledge that many Canadian Christians are feeling marginalized or even outright attacked by others within the country. This tension leads to a variety of emotions from anger to fear, but it rarely leads to gratitude. Yes, I know that many of you may not like the government that is in power in Ottawa, or maybe even in your own province. I know that you may have serious concerns about the education system, healthcare, taxes, cost of living, or jobs. I also know that you may wonder what the moral compass is for Canadians, or when religious freedoms may slide away. I am fully convinced that every concern I have for Canada pales in comparison to the incredible blessings that we get to experience by being a part of this country. It’s a beautiful and diverse nation where we can experience the creativity of God as expressed in nature and in a group of people who are all image bearers of their Creator. It’s a country where we are free to meet with other Christians to worship Jesus and pray, rather than living in fear of going to prison or an act of terrorism on Sunday morning. God has abundantly blessed us in Canada. We should never take that for granted or assume that we are immune to the experiences of people in other nations. We should also guard against arrogance to believe that we are better or more important than others who are living in much, much worse circumstances. And this is where we come back to this prayer that is found in our national anthem. Every time we sing these words as a prayer, we are not just asking God to keep our land, but we are also acknowledging that God is the One who made our land glorious and free in the first place. This is a prayer of gratitude for what we already have and surrender, depend, and trust in God for our future. This prayer is also a call to action. As we recognize how much God has blessed us, may we also recognize the tremendous responsibility we have to be a blessing to others. As Jesus taught, “From everyone who has been given much, much will be required; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, even more will be expected.” (Luke 12:48)
6 SEVEN JULY / AUGUST 2017
KIRK GILES is the president of Promise Keepers Canada. However, his most important roles as a man are husband to Shannon and father to Carter, Joshua, Sydney and Samuel.
