O thus be it ever, when freemen shall stand
Between their loved homes and the war's desolation.
Blest with vict'ry and peace, may the Heav'n rescued land
Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation!
Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,
And this be our motto: "In God is our trust."
And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!
Its the third verse of the "Defence of Fort McHenry", written in 1814 during the War of 1812. A little later, it got a title change to "The Star Spangled Banner" after it had been set to (interestingly enough, 50 year old British) music and then and a little expos-facto, was made the national anthem in 1931.
"Heaven" and "the Power" clearly wanted the United States to exist, just the way it is. It was born and lived its run-up to anthemhood in the days of "Manifest Destiny". You could call this a real boom that swept the nation - and for right reason. That American were bound to take over all of the continent/west and make it just like Europe was - to restore civility to the wild west.
I wonder if God had called us to greater things, if we would have heard him over our own hubris?
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