Independence and dependence

The year 1776 is a year that every American recognizes as the Birthday of our country. However, many are not aware of God’s hand in two other events in that year. George Washington and his troops found themselves trapped on Long Island by the British forces led by General Howe. Washington had 8,000 men and the English forces surrounded him in a semi-circle. Behind him the British ships were preparing to cut off any attempt at retreat. Washington devised a strategy, that by man’s standards seemed impossible. He collected every boat he could find and set out to remove his troops at night. Surely the British would see the ships in the moonlight, or hear the oars of dozens of ships splashing in the water. Historian John Fiske wrote about this event and said this, “The Americans had been remarkably favored by the sudden rise of a fog which covered the East River.” The next morning the British were shocked to see that the American troops had seemingly vanished. This opportunity for the British to finish off their enemy and end the war would never come again. God had guided the mind of Washington, silenced the oars, and blinded the eyes of the enemy.
A second event that took place in 1776 was the Battle of Trenton. The American troops were getting ready to prepare for Winter. Washington knew that many of his men were discouraged and that many were considering leaving. The only hope for the Colonial army to stay together was to win a victory. On Christmas day, Washington moved his troops toward the Delaware River. The troops made the dangerous crossing without losing one man. How was it possible for all of these boats to cross an icy river in pitch black? The only explanation is the protection of an all powerful God. If the American soldiers had been seen crossing, they would have been easily captured. The Hessian soldiers who were in the fort at Trenton had been celebrating Christmas and were completely surprised by Washington’s men. The Hessians were routed, and the Americans experienced their first great victory over the forces of the British. There is a famous picture of George Washington kneeling in the snow and praying after he crossed the Delaware. No doubt he was thanking God for giving him the plan and protecting his men from a very dangerous situation, and for giving him a great victory. 1776 was the year we declared our independence, but it was also the year we learned our dependence on God.

God's hand in the Seige of Boston

During the Revolutionary war, God’s hand was seen in many different ways. The siege of Boston was a great example of God’s intervention. Prior to the siege, Benedict Arnold and Ethan Allen had led the American troops in capturing Fort Ticonderoga. This victory provided the colonial army with the cannons they needed to lay siege on Boston. The problem was that the cannons were 300 miles away from their destination. Henry Knox was called upon by George Washington to bring the cannons over difficult terrain and in the Winter snow. God miraculously allowed them to get over forty cannons to Boston just in time for the siege. God worked through the relentless determination of the Continental army. When the British woke up on March 5, they found the cannons aimed at them from the surrounding hills. The British general ordered his men to get to their ships to attack the Colonial army. Just as the men began to get to their boats, a great storm came and prevented them from boarding their ships. The storm lasted three days. Washington said “this most remarkable interposition of Providence is for some wise purpose, I have not a doubt.” The British fleet decided they would leave if Washington promised not to fire on them as they left, and about 170 ships sailed out of Boston Harbor on March 27. The Churches in Boston held thanksgiving services and thanked God for the victory. The Pastor who preached used the text from Exodus 14:25 “So the Egyptians said, Let us flee from the face of Israel: for the Lord fighteth for them against the Egyptians.” The Christians who lived during the Revolutionary war not only experienced God’s Providential control, but they recognized God’s working His great wonders. Have you experienced God working for you against the powers of darkness?

Was the American revolution a true revolution

When Christians study the Revolutionary war, they are often confused by the fact that our Christian nation could be founded on Rebellion. Doesn’t the Bible say that rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft? Are we not commanded in Romans 13:1 to submit to all authority because all authority is ordained by God. How could God bless a nation who from the very beginning seemed to violate His Word? Over the years, I have heard many explanations as to how it was possible for God to bless the American Revolution, but none were satisfactory. I believe an all powerful God would make it possible for His Christian nation to be founded in a Biblical way. In order to have a Biblical view of the American Revolution, we need to consider several things. First of all the word revolution in 1776 meant something a little different then it does today. When the colonists talked about revolution, most of them meant a return to a previous form of government. The colonists had enjoyed a great relationship with England, known as home rule. The British protected us, and provided most of our trade, and we were loyal to the king. However, we were able to write our own laws elect our own leaders, and enjoyed almost unlimited freedom. After the French and Indian war, England began to change that relationship with taxes, troops, and tea. All the colonists wanted was a return to home rule. The greatest proof of this was the Olive Branch petition. This document was sent to king George III after the Battle of Lexington and Concord. Basically it said that if the king removed his troops and allowed them to return to home rule, they would return to being his loyal subjects. They specifically said that they did not want independence. This was in May of 1775. What happened in the following year that made them change their minds so dramatically? The answer is found in King George’s reply to the Olive branch petition. The king and Parliament decided to force the colonists to give up their attempt to regain their freedom. They passed a law known as the Prohibitory Act of 1775. This law prohibited trade with the colonies and inadvertently removed America out of England’s control and authority. God in His wisdom and mercy had provided a way for America to declare its independence without being in rebellion to established authority. When Thomas Jefferson listed the reasons for America declaring its independence, he alluded to the Prohibitory act at least 3 times. “For cutting off our trade with all parts of the world.” In another part of the Declaration he stats, “He has abdicated government here, withdrawing his governors and declaring us out of his allegiance and protection.” It is clear that Jefferson and our other founding fathers understood what the Prohibitory act had done. Christians can never take matters into their own hands and get rid of their authority. Praise God that because of His intervention, our countries founders did not have to rebel against England in order to begin a new nation under God.

God's hand in three key battles

Just prior to the beginning of the Revolutionary war, God showed His hand in American History in three specific battles. The first occurred in 1746 when France sent half of its fleet to America to conquer the colonists and establish a Roman Catholic colony. I first read about this event in”The American Covenant” by Marshall Forster and Mary-Elaine Swanson. Since that first encounter of reading about this event, I read about it in several other books, including Noah Webster’s book on American history. I mention this because this event is not covered in any history book I have ever studied. On June 20, 1746, a fleet of about seventy ships set sail for New England. At first they encountered a long delay due to calm winds, and then a tremendous storm that destroyed many of the ships. When the French finally reached America, they found that their reinforcements had left and returned to the West Indies. During this time about 3,000 men died from a pestilence. Finally, another large storm came and completely destroyed what was left of the might armada. While all of this was going on, Churches all over New England had been fasting and praying for God to deliver the colonies. Remember, at this time America was a group of independent colonies and had no navy to defend them. God gave us a great victory without firing a shot. I am reminded of a verse in Exodus 14:14 that says; “The Lord shall fight for you and you shall hold your peace.” Sometimes our best plan for victory is to let the Lord fight on our behalf.
The second battle took place during the French and Indian war. During the battle of Fort Duquesne, the British were being slaughtered by the enemy. George Washington had several horses shot out from under him, and found bullet holes in his hat and coat. Several years latter an Indian chief came up to Washington and said “you are the great leader who cannot die”. Washington asked him for an explanation. The chief said that during the battle of Fort Duquesne, he had instructed his braves to shoot the tall white leader. He said that they counted at least 15 shots that went into Washington but he did not go down. The chief said he told his men to stop shooting and concluded that the Great Spirit had his hand on Washington. George Washington realized that God had spared his life in order to accomplish some great purpose in days to come.
The third battle was also during the French and Indian War in the Battle of Quebec. This battle was the key battle of the war. Whoever won this battle would be the ultimate victor of the War. This battle would decide if America would be Catholic and French, or protestant and British. God’s hand was seen in several key parts of the battle. First of all, the British came up with the idea of flying French flags on their ships as they reached the French guides that piloted the ships through the shoals. The English captured the French pilots, and forced them to guide their ships to a position to lay siege on Quebec. The French tried to break up the siege by sending fire ships into the British ships. However, the fire ships blew up prematurely and the British suffered no losses. The third way God intervened was when the the landing party sent by the British was discovered by the French. The leader of the landing party spoke French and said they were there to deliver supplies. The French actually were expecting a delivery at that place and time. By the time the French discovered they had been deceived, they were overpowered, and the landing party was able to make preparation for the attack on the Plains of Abraham. The British won the victory and the war. These three battles demonstrate the fact that God has been working to accomplish His will in American history.

The first Great Awakening

According to Webster’s dictionary, revival means “to restore, refresh, or to return to life. Simply put, revival takes place when God’s people return to their previous relationship and commitment to God. When God sent a message to the Church of Ephesus in Revelation 2:4, He said “I have somewhat against you, that you have left your first love.” This has been the problem for individual Christians, Churches, as well as nations. From the years 1720 to 1750 America experienced a revival nationwide called the first Great Awakening. The early part of the revival was led by Gilbert and William Tennent. William Tennent founded a college in New jersey known as the Log college. This school was able to produce many Godly preachers who renewed Godly preaching in America. The two greatest preachers of the Great Awakening where Jonathan Edwards and George Whitefield. God gave Edwards a great intellect and He gave Whitefield a great ability in speaking. The key to the Revival was the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Today people read the sermons of these great preachers, and remain unmoved. When Jonathon Edwards read his famous sermon “Sinners in the hands of an angry God”, people were crying out for Spiritual help so loudly, he would have to stop speaking and ask someone to take them outside to help them deal with their need for Christ’s forgiveness. The Great Awakening had profound effects on America. First of all, about fifteen percent of the Colonial population was saved. That may not sound impressive, but if it happened in America in today’s population, that would be about 40 million people saved. There was a new interest in Missions in America after the revival. David Brainerd was perhaps the best known of this new wave of missionaries. More Christian colleges were founded and the teaching of Deism almost disappeared. Perhaps the greatest effect of the Awakening was the way it prepared our founding fathers. Most of the men who led our country to independence were in their formative years during the Great Awakening. Many of our Nations leaders were either saved or brought back to God just before the War for Independence. God knew we would need a strong Biblical foundation as we fought England and had to develop a new system of self government. America returned to its first love, and the great experiment of political, economic, educational, and religious freedom was allowed to continue.

The world's oldest rollercoaster

The world’s oldest rollercoaster is not found in any amusement park, but in the Spiritual history of the United States. Since the great Spiritual fervor of the early Colonial period, America has been up and down spiritually as a nation. From 1607-1670, there was a great emphasis on the Word of God, witnessing, prayer, and living a Godly life. However, in the late 1600s, many turned to material things, strong drink, crime, superstition, and Enlightenment thinking. One example of how things had deteriorated, was the Salem witch trials of 1691. Twenty innocent people were put to death based on the accusations of two girls who claimed to see aberrations hovering over each victim. Crime became so prevalent that punishments like the pillory, scarlet letter, and the branks mask were needed to keep some semblance of order. Another part of the Spiritual decline was the Enlightenment of 1688. When it first started, it was an attempt to understand creation and God with the help of reason and logic. However, reason and logic soon took over and faith in God was seen as irrelevant to the pursuit of truth. Deism and Unitarianism became the popular philosophy and religion of the day. The Church even contributed to this Spiritual decline by introducing the Half-way Covenant. This allowed children of Church goers to become members of the Church even if they were not saved. Within one generation, Churches were full of unsaved members. One person who visited a Christian church during this time said it was difficult to tell what religion the Church was due to the fact that Christ, sin, or the Bible, were never mentioned. It appeared that America was heading for judgement from God, unless there was revival. Fortunately, God in His mercy allowed America to experience the First Great Awakening. This was the beginning of the long rollercoaster ride that I alluded to earlier. The Great Awakening lasted from 1720-1750. This Spiritual revival brought America back to the place of God’s blessing. During the end of the 1700s, America again slipped into rebellion against God. This was followed by the Second Great awakening of 1795-1830. In the next two decades after the revival, America again lapsed into the spirit of Apostasy. God again mercifully allowed America to experience the Third Great Awakening from 1857-1865. During the last part of the nineteenth century, America once again feel from God’s word and God’s way. This was followed by the fourth and final Great awakening from about 1890-1920. Notice I said final, we have not experience a national revival since the 1920s. Is the Rollercoaster ride all down hill as we race to God’s judgement? I have no idea, but I believe it is still necessary to ask God for national as well as church and individual revival. Two Bible verses summarize what America has experienced Spiritually for the last 400 years. Psalm 33:12 says; “Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord.” Proverbs 14:34 says this; “Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any nation.” If we as a nation want God’s hand of blessing restored to our nation, we must return to the God of our fathers.

God gave America the gift of Christian education

“It being one chief project of that old deluder Satan, to keep men from the knowledge of the Scripture, as in former times by keeping the Scriptures in an unknown tongue,… it is therefore ordered that every township, after the Lord hath increased them to fifty householders, shall appoint one within their town to teach all such children to write and read.” This law was known as the Old Deluder Satan Act. In the year 1647, Massachusetts Bay established mandatory Christian education. The whole purpose of education was to teach children to read and write in order to develop a Christian world view. Nine years earlier God had allowed Massachusetts to begin a college called Harvard. The college was founded by Puritans for the express purpose of training men for the ministry. In fact, of the first ten colleges founded in America, nine were founded by Religious groups. This emphasis on Christian education continued throughout the Colonial period. After the Revolutionary war, the Northwest Ordinance of 1787 stated that “Religion, morality, and knowledge being necessary to good government and the happiness of mankind, schools and the means of education shall forever be encouraged.” In other words, the purpose of education was to teach the Christian religion, Christian morality and knowledge. Just five years prior to this document, Noah Webster published his famous Blue-backed speller. This textbook taught Biblical truths and morality based on the Bible. The tradition of Godly textbooks continued in 1836 with the McGuffey readers. Once again the Bible and morality were emphasized in this series of textbooks. For hundreds of years, America had a rich history of teaching young minds the truth as seen in the Word of God. One of the major reasons America has experienced God’s hand of blessing is due to an educational system centered on God’s Word. Martin Luther had this to say about education; “I am much afraid that schools will prove to be the great gates of hell unless they diligently labor in explaining the Holy Scriptures, engraving them in the hearts of youth. I advise no one to place his child where the scriptures do not reign paramount. Every institution in which men are not increasingly occupied with the Word of God must become corrupt.” Luther understood the power of the classroom to mold young minds to God’s will or man’s will.