Just some early morning thoughts from me to you…
“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 will forgive their sins and restore their land.”
II Chronicles 7:14 (NLT)“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV)“When America was created the stars must have danced in the sky.”
Bernard DeNoto, Historian
From where we stood, he seemed to be an ordinary fellow.
He must have done this a thousand times for other visitors to the National Archives, yet the passion in his voice was fresh and new as he read from the original document before us—
“When in the course of human events…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…”
I found myself standing a bit taller as his voice soared reading those inspiring words—
“We, therefore, the Representatives of the United States of America, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world…do…solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States;…”
And as the curator concluded that memorable moment for us, his tone and facial expression claimed the words he finished with, as if they were his own—
“And for 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.”
I will never forget the moment, from that pilgrimage to our Nation’s capital, introducing our son, Nathan, a teenager then, to some of the history of our Nation.
Chills and tears flooded over me as we listened to the curator proudly pointing out some things of note about the Declaration of Independence—encased in a secure vault, right alongside the original of our Constitution of the United States of America.
Before us were not just any documents, but a legacy of ideals and commitments lived out by those who embraced the Divinely inspired vision upon which this great Nation was established.
Documents representing the lifeblood of valiant and determined patriots who stood at a critical crossroad at the beginning of America.
And during this week leading to the 4th of July, and the 250th Birthday of this great Nation, as citizens of the United States of America, I wonder if we are up to the same sacrifice of those fifty-six signers of the Declaration of Independence. They knew full well that when they signed that noble document, if they were captured by the British it would mean the death penalty. But they still signed it, because they had a dream for the future of this Nation, and because—they had a deep faith in God.
These were not wild ruffians. These were men, and their families, who loved liberty more than their own lives. They paid the price for us. They paid the price beginning at Bunker Hill, Lexington, and Concord, and down through Valley Forge.
They paid the price for us. And that is what this week is all about; to remember them and the vision of America which God guided them to set before us. They made the first payment, and that payment has been kept up-to-date by the sacrifice and service of so many others throughout our history.
Yet we are at a crossroads, another moment as a Nation, called to return to God’s America, and to remember who we were created to be, while striving to be even better under the strong hand, watchful eye, and loving heart of God.
There are those from without who seek to destroy us as Nation. And sadly, there are those from within who seek to attack who we are and were established as a Nation to be—one Nation under God.
We can shrink before those attacks and problems we face, or we can stand firm, step out, stay with, and return to God, and reclaim our America founded under God.
The duty for this moment, standing at these crossroads, is at your doorstep and mine. What will we do?
Will the sacrifice of those who have gone before be worth it?
Those founders, and all those since who have stood in the gap for us, have answered that question with their lives. Their answer— “Yes, by God it was worth it!”
And we must do the same, knowing that the future of our Nation and the civilized world depends upon that payment being kept up-to-date.
So, together, as we remember and celebrate the 4th of July this week, and our 250th Birthday as a Nation—remember we stand at a crossroads for this Nation.
It is now upon us to assure that the stars continue to dance in the sky, as we stand firm, step out, stay with, return to, and call upon God to restore and bless America.
In His Name—Scott
You will be lifted to stand for America again, as you listen to Brooks and Dunn sing “Only in America.”
