And remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the Lord your God brought you out from there by a mighty hand and by an outstretched arm . . .
Deut. 5:15
Happy Independence Day! In America it is the 245th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, when what was to become America first made her break with England. I love the 4th of July holiday. I know—I realize I love just about every holiday, but Independence Day is especially special to me.
Growing up I loved reading historical fiction and my favorite was always the historical fiction set at the time of the Revolutionary War. There is just something dashing and romantic about a nation coming into being, something about 13 little undeveloped colonies saying they believe in their freedom and independence so much that they were willing to sacrifice all they held dear, to take on the strongest nation in the world, for the chance—a slim chance—of having total freedom, both religious and financial.
We largely ignore how close to complete defeat we were for most of the Revolutionary War. We barely made it. There were many, many times when the colonists gained a victory not through their own strength, but rather through acts of God, when nature would cooperate at just the right time and just long enough for the colonists to escape, or just long enough to set up armaments before the British would realize what was happening.
There are so many things that should not have aligned but for divine intervention. God used those 56 men who were willing to sacrifice everything to birth this nation. They committed high treason. If they had been caught by the British, they were dead men. Still they willingly forged ahead, debating and negotiating among themselves for days on end, culminating in the signing of the Declaration of Independence, a document that would go down in history as one of the most pivotal documents of all time. How intelligent and brave these men were!
This Independence Day, let’s pause and remember what these ordinary men, that God used in an extraordinary way, did and thank God for this great nation and for the blessings He has bestowed upon her. If America would like to remain a great nation, America must remember her great God, for there is no freedom but through Him.