Daily Devotional

I was in elementary school when America celebrated its bicentennial on July 4th, 1976. My teachers did a great job explaining that it had been 200 years since the signing of the Declaration of Independence. They explained that the American Revolutionary War began in Massachusetts with the battles of Lexington and Concord on April 19th, 1775. The Continental Congress did not officially adopt the Declaration of Independence until more than a year later on July 4th, 1776. By putting their signature on the bottom of the Declaration of Independence each of the signers was committing an act of treason against the British Crown. This was punishable by death. Benjamin Franklin summed it up this way, “We must indeed all hang together, or most assuredly we shall all hang separately.”

I remember watching President Gerald Ford on TV leading official observances on July 4th, 1976. He was delivering his address at Valley Forge, PN. And he signed the Bicentennial Day Declaration at Independence Hall in Philadelphia. Our church in Chicago did patriotic concerts every summer in the park. Thousands attended as our choir and orchestra sang beautiful songs about our country. And the Pastor came up at the end and talked about the privilege we have to be citizens in a free country, but that freedom wasn’t free. And he said, “The same is true for our freedom in Christ. That freedom, while free to us, was paid in full by our Lord Jesus Christ when He died on the cross for our sins. And as a result of accepting Christ as our Savior, our citizenship is not only here in America, it is in heaven.

Philippians 3:20 says “For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ."

Then the Pastor would close by saying, “If you’re here this evening as a citizen of America, but you don’t have citizenship in heaven, then you need Jesus Christ. Would you like to receive Him as your Savior right now?” And after he gave the invitation, many would choose to accept Jesus Christ into their hearts, asking Him to forgive them for their sins and to give them life anew.

As we prepare to celebrate America’s 250th birthday, let’s take this opportunity to pray for America…
Thank the Lord for 250 years of freedom and opportunity.
Thank the Lord for the men and women who fought and died so we could have these freedoms.
Pray for unity, that God would unite our country around the Word of God and what it teaches.
Pray for wisdom for our leaders as they guide this country.
Pray for peace in our communities and cities.
Pray for justice, that our nation would be fair and righteous, especially to the underprivileged.
Pray for healing, that divisions and broken relationships would be restored.
Pray for faith, that God would renew spiritual hunger among all Americans.
Pray for our families, that marriages and homes would be strengthened.
Pray for our youth, that God would guide the next generation with biblical purpose and hope.
Pray for our churches, that they would be the light of Christ to their communities.
Prayer of Dedication, asking God to guide America to do His will for another century.

At our Memorial Day Picnic, Pastor Wil quoted Psalm 33:12 “Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD.” What an appropriate verse for the moment. If America truly is “One nation, under God’, then we will be blessed by the Lord. So may that be our prayer, that God will send revival to our nation starting with me. And that we will strive to live lives consistent with what the Word of God says.

New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.