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Delegates from the American colonies had begun the Continental Congresses on their knees, crying to the God of heaven for help. They had knelt signifying that their rights came from God and that they were appealing to Him to show that their cause was just. Now, in July of 1776, they were again declaring their dependence on Him as they 
considered declaring their independence from England. It was in this spirit that Virginia delegate, Richard Henry Lee, would propose the resolution on June 7th that,
“…these colonies are, and of right ought to be, free and independent states.”
(John Adams and the American Revolution, Catherine Bowen, Little Brown and Co., Boston, 1950, p. 583)
A committee was appointed to draft a Declaration of Independence. Thomas Jefferson would do most of the writing of that Declaration, in which he would declare the reason that caused the separation:
“…We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness; that to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed; that whenever any form of government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new government…” (emphasis added) Continue reading
be decided was: Who was the source of their rights of life, liberty, and property? Was the source God or government? England thought the colonies existed for the good of the Mother country. Thus, they thought the rights of the colonists were “government granted”. The people in America thought they existed for the “glory of God and the advancement of the Christian faith”, as the Pilgrims had stated. Thus, Americans believed that their rights were “God given”. What had to be decided was: Is Parliament and the English King the highest authority, or is there a higher law in place? If there was a higher law, did the colonists have to submit to laws that disagreed with that higher law?
I have hope for our land because I am seeing more and more people beginning to pray. Some are praying for revival. Some of them are beginning to see the necessity of repentance if our prayers are to be heard. Some don’t yet know enough of God’s truth to know to pray for revival, they are just praying that God will help us in America and do something to change the direction in which our nation is headed. Some know the Lord so well that they are crying out to Him in very specific prayers, the particular revelations of which would amaze most of us if we knew just how specifically God is leading them in prayer. I am so grateful for all who are praying for us, be they a citizen here or a citizen elsewhere. I recently heard a group of South Koreans praying for us with such appreciation for America and such intensity in their cry for Revival and Transformation for us that I was brought to tears. I knew God was listening intently to their praying.
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