God is to us a
God of deliverances and salvation; and to God the Lord belongs escape from
death [setting us free]. Psalms 68:20
What does the
Fourth of July mean to contemporary Americans?
For many it means a day off from work and little more. To others it means an opportunity to
"party," roast hot dogs, drink beer and watch fireworks. But to the Founders of our nation, it meant
far more.
Upon the
completion of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, John Adams, known
as the "Father of the American Revolution" wrote in a letter to his
wife, Abigail, concerning how the signing should be remembered.
“It ought to be commemorated, as the Day
of Deliverance by solemn Acts of Devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be
solemnized with Pomp and Parade, with Shows, Games, Sports, guns, Bells,
Bonfires and Illuminations from one End of this Continent to the other from
this Time forward forever more. You will think me transported with Enthusiasm
but I am not. I am well aware of the Toil and Blood and Treasure, that it will
cost Us to maintain this Declaration, and support and defend these States. Yet
through all the Gloom I can see the Rays of ravishing Light and Glory. I can
see that the End is more than worth all the Means. And that Posterity will triumph
in that Days Transaction, even though we should rue it, which I trust in God We
shall not.”
To John Adams, it
was to be remembered as a "Day of Deliverance" from the control and
oppression of tyrants, and it should be marked by acts of devotion to the God
who delivers! To John Adams, and to his
cousin Samuel, the spiritual implications were significant. Their understanding of the event was
theologically based, in a desire to serve the only true "sovereign",
Christ Himself. It was Adam's view that
in declaring their independence from Great Britain, the colonists were placing
themselves under the only true "sovereign", the King of Kings and the
LORD of lords. Adams believed that as God "reigns in Heaven" it was
His desire to further His Kingdom in the New World "from the rising to the
setting of the sun."
It is difficult
in light of the current state of America for the next generation to gain an
understanding or appreciation of these spiritual implications. The enemy is using ignorance, complacency,
and revisionism to disengage Christians from their civic duties. While we celebrate "Independence"
this Fourth of July, remember that the greatness of America is knowing that our
liberty comes from Him who died for us, and that our "freedoms"
spring from the love of God. This was
not just a war; this was deliverance by God!
Scripture to Claim:
For You have
delivered my life from death, yes, and my feet from falling, that I may walk
before God in the light of life and of the living. Psalms 56:13
