“I Still Have a Dream”

by Steven (Steve) Liechty | published on Apr 4, 2016

“Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain: And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.” – Isaiah 40:4-5

“I say to you today, my friends . . . even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream.  It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream. I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.’  

“. . . I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, and every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight; ‘and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together’. . . .

” . . . With this faith, we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith, we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith, we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.

“And this will be the day — this will be the day when all of God’s children will be able to sing with new meaning:

My country ’tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing.

Land where my fathers died, land of the Pilgrim’s pride,

From every mountainside, let freedom ring! . . .”

— Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Prayer

“O God, have mercy upon us. Forgive us for what we could have been but failed to be. Give us the intelligence to know your will. Give us the courage to do your will. Give us the devotion to love your will. In the name and spirit of Jesus, we pray. Amen.”    (Excerpted from “Thou, Dear God,” Prayers that Open Hearts and Spirits, by Martin Luther King, Jr., Beacon Press, 2014)

Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated on this date in 1968. The reflection above is excerpted from his “I Have a Dream” speech, one of the most famous speeches in American history, which was delivered during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom on August 28, 1963.