Today America celebrates our semiquincentennial anniversary: July 4, 1776-2026. 250 years since the founding of our free republic. 250 years of holding the truth of God entitling a separate and equal station of independence for life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. 250 years of declaring that all men are endowed by our Creator certain inalienable rights. 250 years of constitutional self-government and a Bill of Rights. 250 years of an idea of personal freedom and opportunity. Never before in history has there been a country like the United States of America. This has enabled American ingenuity and advancement in so many different facets of life. Those of us who are blessed to be part of this country have much to be thankful for! By God’s providence he graciously placed us in this land where we enjoy all that America is and has to offer.
Our country is not perfect; it never has been, and cannot ever be flawless. Yet, God gave the Founders wisdom to provide the basis to which the ideal is strived for. There have been many challenges to overcome, and wrongs to make right. With that, God sovereignly placed in our hands abundant resources to steward well; remarkable local communities for friendships and ministry; and great influence among the nations to be a force for his justice and rule of law, and extend his benevolence and love. America has been, and continues to be, an instrument for good and a beacon of freedom and liberty throughout the world.
As Americans, we celebrate 250 years of God shedding his grace from sea to shining sea. July 4th is a special day full of nationwide events, parades, family cookouts, and of course fireworks. There are regional traditions that highlight the uniqueness of different parts of the country. From the Pacific Northwest and beaches of the West Coast, across the Rockies and Southwest, through the Prairies, up and down the East Coast, to the northern tip of Alaska, across the ocean to Hawaii and Guam, and Puerto Rico in the Caribbean, God has given such awesome diversity for a unified patriotic fervor.
In the midst of these incredible blessings, God has granted the Church in America great opportunities to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ without many of the restrictions the Church faces in other lands. The Church in America has the freedom to gather openly and worship, preach from God’s Word and teach his commands apart from government interference, evangelize the lost with judicial protections, disciple with all kinds of resources for maturity in Christ, utilize church property at any time, and care for those less fortunate in many different ways.
On this day of great and rightful celebration, Christians in America should acknowledge God’s providential blessings upon our country with all thanksgiving and humble gratitude. We should pray for those in authority; for God to bless them with continued wisdom in the manner of the Founders; seek the good and welfare of our neighbors; be honorable citizens and strive for the ideals of our founding; proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ faithfully and boldly; and remember that every good gift comes from God above. What he has placed in our land and given to our hands, we should seek his glory alone and let the world and all who are in it know that God reigns and is the light that America shines so brightly.
May God continue for another 250 years to shed his grace on this land of freedom, from sea to shining sea. And may we not take for granted these freedoms and use them for his namesake and our eternal good.