I don’t know about you, but this year, our nation’s Independence holiday had more of an impact on me than ever before. If I had to guess, I would say it is because of the current state of our country and the direction we appear to be heading. This will not be a political post, simply my thoughts on how we as individuals, living our day to day lives, can make a difference. We must make a difference to ensure that America stays a land of the free and home of the brave for our children and grandchildren.
The most important thing we can do is PRAY! I know sometimes we can fall into the trap of wondering if our personal prayers actually make a difference – but they do! I was reading today in Luke 11:5-13 and Jesus is basically telling his disciples to be annoying pests when it comes to asking God for the things that were really important to them!
Our Founding Fathers also agreed. George Washington wrote, “It is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favor.” Okay, so maybe he didn’t say to be annoying pests but I think “humbly to implore” must mean the same thing 250 years later!
Do you pray for our nation regularly? For our government leaders both nationally and locally, those in authority, our police and military leaders? We may never have an audience with anyone in Washington, DC but at any moment, we have an audience with the One who is sovereign over ALL THINGS. And if you sometimes wonder where you even begin to “humbly implore,” you cannot go wrong with praying 2 Chronicles 7:14-15 for yourself and for our country …
“Then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and forgive their sins and restore their land. My eyes will be open and my ears attentive to every prayer made in this place.”
If you’re wondering where this “place” God is speaking of is … at that time, it was the Temple. But now since Christ’s sacrifice and the sending of the Holy Spirit, we are His Temple. He is attentive to every prayer we make.
The second thing you can do is SPEAK UP. I’m not suggesting being aggressive or argumentative. Rather, we all have the responsibility in our own homes and to those who look up to us as mentors to help educate them on the history of our country. The people of God were charged in Deuteronomy 6:7-9 to share God’s commands in their homes all day, every day. I believe that same principle applies in sharing the incredible history of the founding of our country with those in our sphere of influence.
Plus most of us need the refresher course ourselves, wouldn’t you agree? How much have you researched and read the words of our Founding Fathers and the incredible miracles that made our country a nation? I’m ashamed to say, I have slacked in this area. So I’d like to share some resources to help you as they are helping me to educate myself on the TRUE history of America, and to be knowledgeable enough to share with others.
Begin by spending some time on the site www.wallbuilders.com. There you will find articles, videos, and actual verbiage of many of our historical documents. For a quicker overview, I would recommend two Independence Day messages I recently heard. Both would make for a great family night or small group event.
The Founder of WallBuilders, David Barton, spoke at First Baptist in Dallas a few weeks ago. His overview of the history on the founding of our country was eye opening and humbling at the same time. There were very few things he shared that I had ever read or heard before. Here is the link to America's Godly Heritage.
The second is the July 4th message from my own church by Pastor Craig Coulter. You can enjoy the patriotic music or skip straight to the message but, again, there were stories shared that I had not heard before about the founding of our country. Watch Celebrate Freedom here.
You owe it to yourself, and we certainly owe it to our children and grandchildren to know our country’s history and to take up the mantle to educate them so they can pass this along to future generations. I believe it is our responsibility, not the schools, to pass this history along; the same as it is our responsibility and not the church to teach God’s Word to those we love.
If we want America to continue to be the land of the free and the home of the brave, let us start today with becoming brave enough to pray and speak up while we are still free. God bless you and God bless America!
