Psalm 33:12 (NIV)
Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, the people he chose for his inheritance.
Even though only about a third of the colonists supported the American Revolution, our founding fathers were willing to take a stand. They knew, if it didn’t go their way, they would lose everything—even their very lives—but they were willing to be on record publicly for what they felt was important. I respect their courage and their willingness to risk everything to gain liberty. They were certainly not perfect—all humans are flawed—but their lives and decisions must be understood in the context in which they lived. History has spoken clearly on the efforts of those who signed our Declaration of Independence: Our nation, remaining dedicated to the proposition that all men are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights and relying on God’s provision, has endured now for 250 years. America is the oldest constitutional republic in recorded history, and we have to acknowledge that it’s because of the mercy and grace of our Creator, the Author of liberty and freedom. God has truly blessed America. On this day, 250 years after America was born, let’s ask God to bless us again.
THINK ABOUT IT
“If you fully obey the Lord your God and carefully follow all his commands I give you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations on earth. … Then all the peoples on earth will see that you are called by the name of the Lord, and they will fear you.” Deuteronomy 28:1, 10 (NIV)
PRAYER
Lord, we pause this Independence Day, 250 years after America’s founding, to celebrate Your goodness, Your mercy, and Your blessings. We don’t want to just enjoy family, friends, and days off work. We want to acknowledge You. Freedom comes from You, not from governments, and we praise You for it. We pray for those in authority over us today—that You would put men and women in all those positions who fear Your name and make decisions that would bring Your blessings to our communities, cities, states, and nation. Lord, give us the wisdom to choose You in such a way that it would please You to bless our nation once again. In Jesus’ name, amen.
— Pastor Allen Jackson
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. … And for the support of this declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor.” —The Declaration of Independence. Read the full Declaration here.