“The Lord has been the people’s guide
For past three hundred years,
With Him still on the people’s side
We have no doubts or fears”.
How oft this verse do we hear?
When does it ring in our ear?
Appears to me more often than not
That the first verse is the entire lot.
For if you want to see some fun,
Check when the second verse is being sung
And you will note the mumbling lip
With memory gone there’s many a slip.
I challenge you this morning too,
Whether the second verse is known by you
Or you are stuck on the first as well?
It’s only by singing that we can tell.
But we proudly stand ramrod straight
As we esteem Barbados the greatest state
Seldom remembering the God who led,
Nothing much about Him is said.
Yes, “In plenty and in time of need
When this fair land was young
Our brave forefathers sow the seed
From which our pride is sprung”.
For while this might be true in part,
From whom did they get strength of heart?
To accomplish what they did achieve,
Really and truly, tell, what do you believe?
Do you really think they did it on their own,
In their own strength, yes, all alone?
No way could they have braced the trouble tide
If the gracious Lord were not by their side.
But now we have the hero’s hall of fame
And great men and women we acclaim,
Giving them credit for all that’s been done,
God’s out of the picture and so is His Son.
I say this morning let’s open our eyes
And look to the One who lives in the skies,
For in many hearts He still resides,
He makes the difference, there’s none besides.
But now we are higher up and better off,
In pride we strut with our heads held aloft
Giving the impression to one and all
We did it all alone, time to have a ball.
Like the famous fool whose crops yielded greater
Our souls are fed on every whim and caper,
We legalize this and we legislate that
As long as it meets our fancy and that’s a fact.
I know this is not the usual thanksgiving theme
But I want you to picture this current scene,
As we commemorate Independence forty-nine,
Let’s take stock, arrest this dive and look to the Divine.
God be praised for again we’ve been spared
Relatively speaking, for yet another year
But who can tell when our turn will come?
It could happen, you know, before the set of sun.
There’s much to thank God for I’m sure you’ll agree
As we celebrate another year in a land of the free,
Let’s lift our hearts to Him in praise
As the second verse of the anthem we raise.
“The Lord has been the people’s guide
For past three hundred years,
With Him still on the people’s side
We have no doubts or fears”.
Stewart Russell © 2010
Revised 2015
