Psalm 33:12 (NKJV)
Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord,
The people He has chosen as His own inheritance.
The mission of God-N-America is to “reconnect God and America by telling His story in our history.” You see, whether intentionally or by apathy, we have forgotten our history. America has had a glorious past. That past was not just about conquest and victory in times of conflict, it was about an allegiance to God, unequalled in modern times.
This idea captivated me a few years ago when I heard some recorded sermons by one of my favorite preachers, Bob Russell of Louisville, Kentucky. In those lessons he emphasized America’s early connections to God and the providence of God in our history. Three stories stood out to me that captured my attention.
First, there was the story of George Washington at the Battle of Monongahela in the French and Indian War in 1755. Washington was a Colonial officer under British General Braddock. The British and Americans lost the battle that day but George Washington seemed to be miraculously protected. Fifteen years later an Indian Chief who had fought against him that day said of Washington that he was “the man who is the particular favorite of heaven, who could never die in battle.”
Second, there is the story of the Continental Army that was trapped by the British at Brooklyn Heights on Long Island August 27, 1776. Washington evacuated his troops all night to escape the British. However, by morning there were soldiers remaining on the Island who would surely have been killed or captured by the Redcoats had it not been for the peculiar fog that encompassed both armies. This enabled Washington to remove those troops. Those who were there called it Divine Providence.
Third, there is the story of Battle of Yorktown, in 1781 is actually referred to by some historians as the “Miraculous Convergence” in which a providential storm prevented the British from escaping the American Continental Army and brought the American War for Independence to an end.
As I investigated our history further, I found that there are many more stories of what appears to be divine intervention in the establishment of our nation. Even more examination showed some amazing things about our Founders and Framers. These men, were not a collection of atheists, agnostics, and deists as we have been led to believe. Those were the leaders of the French Revolution. For the most part, our leaders were devout Christians. They had a biblical worldview in which they based their actions on the Holy Scriptures more than the philosophies of men.
America was not a chosen nation like Israel. America was more of a “choosing nation.” Our ancestors chose to follow God and uphold the teachings of Jesus in their lives. Many who came to America did not come for “gold” but for God. As the Pilgrims stated in the Mayflower Compact, they came to “advance Christian faith.” That is, they came as missionaries to the natives in the New World, not as conquerors or masters.
Their study of the Bible revealed God’s will was to be in every part of life, from the individual to the family to the community to the nation. They chose to incorporate biblical principles into their lives and then into the life of our nation. The results of their faith-filled labors remind me of God’s affirmation of non-Jews who embrace Him in Isaiah 56:6-8 (NKJV)
6 “Also the sons of the foreigner
Who join themselves to the Lord, to serve Him,
And to love the name of the Lord, to be His servants—
Everyone who keeps from defiling the Sabbath,
And holds fast My covenant—
7 Even them I will bring to My holy mountain,
And make them joyful in My house of prayer.
Their burnt offerings and their sacrifices
Will be accepted on My altar;
For My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations.”
8 The Lord God, who gathers the outcasts of Israel, says,
“Yet I will gather to him
Others besides those who are gathered to him.”
I believe God has a special place in His heart for those who choose to follow Him and are not compelled to do so by tradition or by heritage. It has been said that God does not have any “grandchildren.” Every person who follows God is His son or daughter. It is incumbent upon every generation to develop a personal, fresh, deep-seated relationship with God.
Even the chosen nation of Israel had the opportunity to know God anew in each generation. Yet, they often ebbed and flowed in their personal and national relationships with Him. America has, too and God called us back to Him through events like the Great Awakenings.
Solomon stated in Proverbs 1:7 (NKJV):
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, But fools despise wisdom and instruction.
Our awe and reverence for God is the beginning point of all knowledge. It is foolish to neglect Him. It is foolish to neglect His story in our history.
Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. 7 “If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; and from now on you know Him and have seen Him.” (John 14:6-7, NKJV). Just as our forefather chanted to the British, “We have no king but King Jesus,” we can declare His authority for our lives as our Lord, King, and Savior.
Let’s Keep The Light of Telling His Story in Our History Burning!