|
by
Doug Ward |
This year marks the 250th anniversary of the start of the American
Revolutionary War in 1775. Through an eight-year-long conflict, thirteen American
colonies gained independence from Great Britain to form the United States of
America.
In
the early years of the war, the revolution often appeared to be doomed to
failure. For example, after the Continental Army suffered defeat in the Battle
of Long Island on August 27, 1776, nine thousand American troops were trapped
on the island. However, a timely storm and a thick fog allowed General George
Washington to organize a daring overnight retreat that rescued his forces.
The
fact that Washington was still alive in 1776 is itself remarkable. He had
survived some close calls in the earlier French and Indian War. In the Battle
of the Monongahela in July 1755, two horses were shot out from under him, a
bullet knocked off his hat, and four more bullets left holes in his coat.
Somehow, though, he escaped unharmed.
After
that battle, Washington concluded that God had rescued him. "But by
all-powerful dispensations of Providence, I have been protected beyond all
human probability or expectation..." he wrote to his brother John A.
Washington on July 18, 1755.
Washington
witnessed further examples of God's deliverance during the Revolution. In
August 1778 he wrote to General Thomas Nelson, "The hand of Providence has
been conspicuous in all this, that he must be worse than an infidel that lacks
faith, and more than wicked that has not gratitude enough to acknowledge his
obligations."
Washington
was not alone in his assessment. America's history has been full of fortuitous
incidents, lucky "accidents" that have changed the course of events
in our favor. (Michael Medved has described a number of these in his books The
American Miracle and God's Hand on America.) Because of such
incidents, American leaders have often credited divine providence with aiding
the United States.
How
should we respond to the evidence that God has often blessed our country?
Certainly, we should not conclude that America is perfect, enjoys special
privileges, or is somehow "God's favorite." Instead, we should be
thankful for God's gifts and accept the responsibilities that go with them, the
"obligations" to which Washington referred in his letter to Nelson.
The
Bible includes a number of cautionary tales about the rise and fall of empires.
For example, God caused the ancient Assyrians and Babylonians to prosper in
order to carry out certain tasks. But after those tasks were accomplished,
these nations became arrogant and assumed that they were accountable to no one.
As a result, they faced divine judgment and fell as quickly as they had risen
(Isaiah 10; Habakkuk 1-2).
As
Abraham Lincoln once observed, "He who made the world still governs
it." Since we have received great blessings, we should remember their
source and strive to use them to do God's will in the world.
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On 13 Jul 2025, 13:25.
