‘Laus Deo’
Psalm 66:20
Praise be to God who has not taken away his good faith and his mercy from me.
In our very secularized society where it appears that God and His Word have been erased from all our public buildings, God still shows up! There are many government buildings and monuments that still bear the words our nation was founded on. Today we will just take a look at the ones we can find in Washington D.C. From the halls of Congress to the monuments, and to nearly every landmark building, biblical and religious quotes and images are inscribed and preserved as a testimony to the true place God has in our nations birth, and history.
Just look up at the photo of the Washington Monument. Of course you cannot read it up there, so we have to trust the ones who wrote it on this beautiful aluminum obelisk, at the capstone, ‘Laus Deo’, meaning “Praise be to God”. On the blocks inside that line the stairwell are these phrases , ‘Holiness to the Lord”, “Search the Scriptures” and “Train up a Child in the Way He should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.”
In the U.S. Capitol House chamber is the inscription, “In God We Trust.” Also, above the Gallery door stands a marble relief of Moses surrounded by 22 other law-givers. In the Rotunda are several paintings. Including one of “The Baptism of Pocahontas” and one of the the Pilgrims praying on a ship. An open Bible can clearly be seen with the words “the New Testament according to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” Psalm 16:1 is etched in a window.
The Supreme Court building has many places where you can see Moses with the Ten Commandments. The one I find most interesting is on the huge doors as you enter the Supreme Court. The Ten Commandments are engraved on the lower part of each door. All the lawmakers entering that chamber each day must pass by God’s laws! The Ten Commandments are also engraved over the top of Chief Justice Roberts’ chair.
When you enter the Jefferson Memorial you will find many references to God. One of the panels reads: “God who gave us life gave us liberty. Can the liberties of a nation be secure when we have removed a conviction that these liberties are a gift from God? Indeed I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just, that His justice cannot sleep forever.” Apparently Jefferson had some concerns about the condition of the country’s Godliness even then.
Finally, The Lincoln Memorial has his famous speeches engraved on the walls. Both speeches have several references to God, and quotes from the Bible.
Though many will try, they will not be able to expunge the Word of God from our government. The Bible says about itself, ‘the Word of God is quick and powerful, cutting in and cutting out’. As a result, this nation will always be, “One Nation Under God.”
In your travels this summer go on a ‘words of God’ hunt. You may be surprised where you find them! Here’s a good place to start looking, the Capitol Rotunda in Harrisburg!
So, have you already found some places that display God’s Word? Share them with us.
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