Stanza # 1
The first stanza of the song echoes the words of
the Bible, telling us all to "rejoice in hope" (Romans
12:12). Even though we may not yet be all that we
hope to be or have all that we hope to have, we are thankful
for what we have already gained and achieved, in which we have
evidence that that we are all moving in the right direction.
Stanza # 2
The second stanza also begins with a parallel
found in Scripture (I
Corinthians 10:13) which lets us know that yes, we
have come through many hard and bitter trials, but every one
of us has had to face trials and temptations in this life (so
one should never feel "singled out", but our faith
is and always has been in the One who has promised to take us
THROUGH our trials and bring us out safely on the other
side. While we hold high hopes for where we are going,
we have a deep appreciation for where we are each time we
remember from whence we've come.
Stanza # 3
Our country was founded on faith and belief in God
our creator. It was that faith that kept our forefathers going
through hard times that would make many of us today want to
just curl up into a ball and die. If we are to survive
and thrive, we will need to "hook in" to that same
faith they had so we may be an example to our children as our
forebears are to us.