The tumult and the shouting dies;

The Captains and the Kings depart:

Still stands Thine ancient sacrifice,

A humble and a contrite heart.

 Victoria ruled for 60 years, Great Britain was the most powerful nation on earth, but its strength was ebbing.

Rudyard Kipling, in a short poem in 1897, wrote about battles the British Empire fought, how God had saved them during dark times, staring at Great Britain declining pointed to the ancient kingdoms of Nineveh and Tyre, lamenting the ‘wild tongues’ drunk on power loose in England, ended with a prayer:

Lord God of Hosts, be with us yet,

Lest we forget – Lest we forget.

We’re in wild times – with loose tongues – of our own. But the election’s now behind us.

Pray to the God of Hosts for a contrite heart, lest we forget.