Our father’s God to Thee, Author of liberty, To Thee we sing;
Long may our land be bright, With freedom’s holy light
Protect us by Thy might, Great God Our King
There is a special joy and pride (the good kind) that comes from knowing we live in a nation with a godly heritage. No, I’m not one of those who imagine that the Founding Fathers were all committed Christians. It’s clear some were not. Yet it is just as clear that many were. What’s more, it’s also clear that the Pilgrims who came to this land seeking religious freedom were indeed faithful and committed (not to mention reformed!) followers of Jesus Christ.
For that reason, when we as biblical Christians celebrate our nation’s Independence Day, we can’t do so in a merely secular way. For us, it is a time of thanksgiving and joy for all that God has done in and through this nation over these many years. And sure, we’ll be the first to recognize that America is not (nor has it ever been) a perfect heaven on earth. Sadly, she has her flaws and indeed, many sins (abortion certainly comes to mind). Yet God in his mercy has been pleased to use this nation in a special way in this world and above all as a launching pad for the Gospel of Christ. For that we are truly grateful.
How long will God’s special providence for us last? I couldn’t tell you. But I believe it will be as long as there are Christ-exalting churches who faithfully ‘tread the old paths’ and preach the old Gospel of ‘grace through faith in Christ alone’ and who are committed to using their many advantages as citizens of this nation to spread the saving Gospel to the ends of the earth so all may hear and know that there is a Savior in Christ Jesus. Will you be one of these faithful Gospel-sharers? May God make it so that future generations may be able to able to sing, “God bless America”