When the battle is over, who and what will still be standing? Read Psalm 112:4-10. According to tradition, Psalm 112 serves as a eulogy for a righteous person. “Even in darkness, light dawns for the upright.” As we celebrate our nation’s history, I pondered the poem, “The Star-Spangled Banner”, written by Francis Scott Key. We know the story well: how he was inspired by seeing the flag of Fort McHenry in September of 1814 after it had received heavy artillery from the British. This poem was made into a song, which is played before every sporting event and when an American Olympic athlete climbs the gold medal podium. When I am at a game, I sing the song even if others don’t join in. As I have been researching events around 1776, I went down the rabbit hole of 1814 and the lyrics to our national anthem. I was caught by surprise when Mr. Key placed a question mark at the end of the stanza. Here are the words.

O say, can you see, by the dawn's early light,

What so proudly we hailed at the twilight’s last gleaming?

Whose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous fight,

O’er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming;

And the rocket’s red glare, the bombs bursting in air,

Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there;

O say, does that star-spangled banner yet wave

O'er the land of the free, and the home of the brave?

It never occurred to me there was a question mark. We sing with such assurance that the American Flag will be standing and waving in the wind. We sing with confidence that we are the land of the free. We sing emphatically that we are the home of the brave. But there is a question mark. From his position in Baltimore Harbor, he witnessed the relentless bombing. Encouraged by the sight of the flag, he wrote his poem without knowing what the final outcome would be of the battle or the war. The Psalmist described a night of darkness for the one who lived a godly life and experienced a “dawn’s early light” moment. “Even in the darkness, light dawns for the upright.” When the battle is over, if we are still standing, it is because we are standing on our faith in Jesus Christ.



Lord God, you are the one who holds our battle in your hands. Protect us from evil and lead us to the light of the dawn. Amen.