Thoughts from Mark "Hat" Rackley

Trust in him at all times, you people;
    pour out your hearts to him,
    for God is our refuge.

• Psalm 62:8

I have seen something else under the sun:
The race is not to the swift
    or the battle to the strong,
nor does food come to the wise
    or wealth to the brilliant
    or favor to the learned;
but time and chance happen to them all.

• Ecclesiastes 9:11

The swift will not escape,
    the strong will not muster their strength,
    and the warrior will not save his life.

• Amos 2:14

“Seven-year-old John Quincy felt the strain, too, later writing, ‘My mother with her infant children dwelt every hour of the day and of the night liable to be butchered in cold blood or taken and carried into Boston as hostages by any foraging or marauding detachment of men.’
“On June 17, Abigail and her children heard the guns and cannons that marked the beginning of the Battles of Bunker Hill and Breed’s Hill. As the British started up the slopes, a command reportedly passed through the American lines: ‘Don’t shoot until you see the white of their eyes.’
“When the guns began firing, the sound traveled for miles. Hearing the roar of the cannons and the sounds of the battle, Abigail took John Quincy and hiked to the top of Penn Hill, where they watched the battle unfold across the bay. The Boston neighborhood of Charlestown went up in flames, and the winds blew the heat and smoke into their faces. Waves of British soldiers fell while charging up Bunker’s hill. The Patriots were driven back, and it was the bloodiest battle thus far in the War. The next morning Abigail wrote John, and in the middle of her letter, she burst into the cherished scriptures sustaining her, especially a passage from Psalm 62:
“The day-perhaps the decisive day-is come, on which the fate of America depends. My bursting heart must give vent at my pen. I have just heard that our dear friend, Dr. Warren, is no more, but fell gloriously fighting ‘The race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong; but the God of Israel is He that giveth strength and power to His people. Trust in Him at all times, ye people, pour out your hearts before Him; God is a refuge for us.’ Charlestown is laid in ashes. The battle began upon our intrenchments upon Bunker’s Hill, Saturday morning about three o’clock, and has not ceased yet. It is expected they will come out over the Neck tonight, and a dreadful battle must ensue. Almighty God, cover the heads of our countrymen, and be a shield to our dear friends!  How many have fallen, we know not. The constant roar of the cannon is so distressing that we cannot eat, drink, or sleep.”

• Robert J. Morgan, 100 Bible Verses That Made America

In my recent trip to visit the grandchildren, the oldest of them went with me to Nashville, to sell used books and games.  One of the books that I purchased in return was 100 Bible Verses That Made America by Robert J. Morgan.  As we approach the 250^th anniversary of the birth of the USA, I thought I would do a condensed mini-series on some of these verses, four posts per week for a few weeks – maybe not all 100 verses.

John Quincy Adams (1767-1948) was the sixth president of the United States of America.  His father, John Adams, was the second president.  This father-son duo was the only such duo until George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush accomplished this bit of trivia nearly 200 years later.

John Quincy Adams was effective as a diplomat and congressman.  As president, he accomplished very little.  There were four candidates on the ballot.  Andrew Jackson got the lead in the popular vote, but no one had a clear majority in the electoral vote.  The vote then went to the House of Representatives, and John Quincy Adams was elected by them.  But the political canvas had shifted toward Andrew Jackson for the four years of his presidency, and Jackson was elected four years later.

As a diplomat, he negotiated the treaty that ended the War of 1812.  As Secretary of State under James Monroe, he was the force that carried out the Monroe Doctrine which still influences foreign policy today.  As a congressman, he worked to remove the gag orders so that the problem of slavery could be freely discussed in Congress.  And while a congressman, he represented a group of slaves before the Supreme Court who had revolted, taking over the ship leaving from Cuba to the USA.  J.Q. Adams argued that their capture and forced slavery was against international law, and they had a right to defend themselves.

But when he was seven, his mother took him by the hand, and they watched the Battle of Bunker Hill (fought on Breed’s Hill).  He never forgot the scene.

In her way of dealing with the trauma, Abigail quoted more than just a few verses of Psalm 62, as the biblical references above indicate.  She wanted John Quincy to know that God had this entire affair firmly in his hands.

As she laid John Quincy in his bed that night, she wanted to ensure that her son knew that God was in control.  She instructed him to recite the Lord’s Prayer before getting out of bed the next morning.

This became a daily habit from that night after watching the Battle of Bunker Hill until the day he died, collapsing on the House floor and dying two days later.

Soli Deo Gloria.  Only to God be the Glory.