Your vote in this election will be part of a thread woven through America’s divine history dating back to the Constitutional Convention of 1787. Interestingly, the official documents of this convention were shrouded in deep secrecy until they were disclosed by the US State Department in 1818. In the statement we see reminders of God’s sovereign actions and providence in the birth and preservation of America.

Against all odds, George Washington eventually secured American independence from Great Britain on the battlefield at Yorktown. In the years after the war, Philadelphia’s storied halls became the battleground for establishing the structure of America’s system of government. After nearly five weeks of negotiations, the Constitutional Convention reached an impasse. On this occasion, Dr. Benjamin Franklin addressed the crowd:

“In this state of this House, which is groping, as it were, in the dark, to find the political truth, and scarcely able to distinguish it when it is presented to us, how is it that, Sir, we have not hitherto thought of humbly appealing to the father of lights to enlighten our understanding? At the beginning of the Contest with Great Britain, we have seen the danger We prayed daily in this room for divine protection, when we felt, Sir, that our prayers were heard and graciously answered. All of us who took part in the struggle must have frequently observed such instances of the supervising providence being in our favor as to this happy opportunity of peaceful consultation on the means of establishing our future national happiness. And now have we forgotten that mighty friend? I have lived a long time, sir, and the longer I live, the more convincing evidence I see of this truth – that God directs the affairs of men. If he cannot fall, is it possible for an empire to arise without his help?

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Benjamin Franklin declared God’s sovereign authority over his Creation and then called the delegates to prayer. Not bad for a so-called Deist. Although the purpose of the convention was to secure the blessings of liberty set forth in the Declaration of Independence, Franklin advocated what might then be called a declaration of dependence. Dependence on the divine protection and divine care of the Almighty God. The season of prayer that followed was a turning point on the road to the constitutional republic we have today. But just 27 years later, this new government was tested within an inch of its life.

On September 13, 1814, British naval forces began bombarding Fort McHenry, which guarded the entrance to Baltimore harbor. After burning the US Capitol and the White House in August, the British aimed to capture Baltimore, then America’s third largest city. The day before, a combined force of British officers, sailors, and Royal Marines landed to attack Baltimore by land. Initially unopposed, the British advance was blocked by reinforcements from the Maryland Militia, who soon outnumbered the British forces. It was clear that the Americans could only be dislodged by strong naval support, so the great star-shaped fortress had to be destroyed.

Fort McHenry’s commander was Maj. Gen. George Armistead, who commissioned a new garrison flag for the fort the year before. The massive flag measured 30 feet by 42 feet, with fifteen red stripes (one for each state in the union at the time) and fifteen stars on a blue field. The bombardment that morning lasted 27 hours; More than 1,500 cannonballs, mortars and rockets were fired at the defenders. A new innovation was the Congreve Rockets equipped with timing devices; Some of these misfired, so it was later stated that “the bombs exploded in the air”.

He was among the British fleet to negotiate an exchange of prisoners, and to negotiate a prisoner exchange between the British and Dr. An American truce ship (USS President) sent to negotiate the release of William Beanes was at anchor. The negotiations were led by Colonel John Skinner and Georgetown lawyer Francis Scott Key. Arbitration was successful, but the three Americans were forced to remain on their ship until the war was over. Key later wrote of the battle itself: “It seemed as if mother earth had opened up and was vomiting lead and shell into a layer of fire and brimstone.” As darkness fell, Key could only vaguely see the fort through the fiery red glow of the bullets.

In the pre-dawn hours of September 14, visibility was low as the smoke of battle still hung over the harbor. During the overnight bombardment, Francis Scott Key had already written the first stanza of what we now call the Star-Spangled Banner:

Oh tell me, can you see in the early light of dawn?
How proudly we saluted in the last glow of twilight,
With broad stripes and bright stars in the dangerous struggle,
Or were the walls we were watching flowing so bravely?
And the red glow of the rocket, the bombs exploding in the air,
We proved throughout the night that our flag is still there;
Oh tell me, is that star-spangled banner still flying?
Land of the free and home of the brave?

In the pale light of the early morning, that last verse remained an open question: Was the flag of the newborn nation still flying? As if in response, at dawn the defenders lowered the battered storm flag and defiantly raised the massive garrison flag for all to see. And the Stars and Stripes continue to hover over Fort McHenry and our nation to this day.

Later that morning, exhausted from the long battle and low on ammunition, the British released the three Americans and headed for New Orleans; here they would be defeated by American forces led by Major General Andrew Jackson.

Following their release that morning, Francis Scott Key, Colonel John Skinner, and Dr. William Beanes set out for Baltimore, where Key added additional verses to the anthem. The fourth stanza remains a clarion call that resonates to this day:

Oh, let it always be like this when free men survive
Between their beloved homes and the solitude of war.
Happy victory and peace, Lands saved by heaven
Praise be to the Power that made and preserved us as a nation!
Then we must conquer, if our cause is right,
And let this be our motto: ‘We have trust in God.’
And the star-spangled banner will fly in triumph
Land of the free and home of the brave!

Our trust is in Allah. These words in the anthem are symbolic of the divine history of the so-called American Experiment. But trusting God is not an experiment; it is an act of faith, commitment and determination.

Many years ago, faithful delegates in Philadelphia were used by God to create our nation. Fort McHenry’s valiant defenders worked hard to defend it. The question remains the same today: Does the American Flag still fly in the land of the land of the free and the brave?

This election has been a time for us to defend the walls and defend America. This defense starts at the ballot box.