A MARE USQUE AD MARE (from sea to sea)

Today’s Reading: Psalms 72

Click scripture link to read online or HERE to listen online (then click the symbol of the audio speaker above the scripture portion).

A young Roman believer in Jesus offered to drive my son Reynold on his photographic trip around Rome. He held Reynold’s Bible, the eternal Word of God with its message of the forever-Kingdom of God (God’s Dominion), as a contrast to the temporal Empire of Rome exemplified by the ruins of the Roman Colosseum.

GOOGLE MAPS – To see where the photo was taken, click HERE.

Key Verse: Psalm 72:8

He shall have dominion also from sea to sea,

And from the River to the ends of the earth.

This is one of two Psalms of David’s son, Solomon (the other is Psalm 127). According to the Rabbis, today’s reading could only apply to the coming Messiah. No earthly king could ever fulfill all the magnificent words spoken here. However, we are told that this Psalm was meant to be sung at the coronation of a descendant of King David. Perhaps this happened when Solomon was crowned. We remember that Solomon had prayed for wisdom to rule well.

Of course this is Canada’s Psalm. Our country’s motto is our key verse. What a platform or goal this would make for any person who aspires to leadership. (1) Righteousness and Justice, (2) Abundance of Peace, (3) Deliverance for the poor and needy, (4) Prosperity (abundance of grain sounds like the Canadian prairies – 72:16). We are truly a blessed people, but when it comes to God having dominion over our land, we’ve got a long way to go!

PRAYER FOR TODAY:

Lord God, I pray fervently for You to have dominion from sea to sea here in Canada and all over the world. I know that the word “dominion” comes to us from the latin “Dominus,” meaning “Lord.” I ask You to put Your grace upon our Queen, our head of state, upon the leaders of our governments at various levels, and upon me too, that I may be a part of moving Canada and the world in the direction of these magnificent principles, which I’m reading about in Your Holy Word today. In the Name of the only One who, as Messiah, could and will do it all, the Lord Jesus Christ, I pray! Amen!!!

100 PERSONAL WORDS:

In 1981 Crossroads commissioned the publishing of the book, Canada, Sharing Our Christian Heritage. Sir Samuel Leonard Tilly, Premier of New Brunswick at the time of confederation (1867), put the words of our key verse into Canada’s founding document. Here’s a quote from Tilley’s son, which we included in this book about our beloved Canada:

“I have heard my Father state how he came to suggest it at the conference….there had been considerable discussion the day before as to what the new United Canada should be called, and no conclusion had been reached. The next morning, as was Sir Leonard’s custom, he read from the Bible, and that particular morning he read Psalm 72:8, ‘He shall have dominion from sea to sea.’ The thought occurred to him that this would be a splendid name to give the newly united colonies of Great Britain, ‘The Dominion of Canada.’ When he went back that morning to the conference, he suggested this name, and it was unanimously accepted.”

The words of that verse became Canada’s official declaration, and Psalm 72:8 is inscribed in stone over the main entrance to our Parliament buildings. Tilley’s biographer wrote that “The secret of his life was that he loved his God and his country.”

I spent some time at Tilley’s grave site meditating on his life and the words on his memorial stone. Engraved for all to read are the words, “HIS TRUST WAS IN JESUS.” Tilley explained, with his fading breath, that he wanted passersby to know that his faith in Jesus Christ had been the true source of any success he had known and the power that had most influenced his life.

Yours for moving our country and our world in the direction of the high goals of Psalm 72 by making Jesus the Lord of our individual lives,

David

P.S. Ron has placed below the Canadian Coat of Arms with the quote from Psalm 72:8 in the Latin language, (english translation, “From sea to sea”) and a picture of Sir Leonard Tilley from one of the books Crossroads has published, Canada, Sharing Our Christian Heritage.

Canada’s Coat of Arms includes the words “A MARE USQUE AD MARE”…”From Sea to Sea.”

Sir Leonard Tilley (1818-1896), Premier of New Brunswick, Father of Confederation and MAN of GOD!