Heading up to the 4th of July, it would seem to many of us to be the most contentious Independence Day we’ve seen in our lifetime. Though that might be true, it was not as troublesome and perplexing as the 4th of July of 1863. In hindsight, that July 4th marked the beginning of the end of the Civil War. But for those who were living during that time, it might have felt like the future of our beloved nation was hanging in the balance. On July 4, 1863, after the single bloodiest battle ever fought on American soil, General Robert E. Lee was finally retreating from Gettysburg. On this very same Independence Day, General Ulysses S. Grant secured the surrender of Vicksburg, Mississippi. So devastating was this defeat to the Confederate rebellion and to the town of Vicksburg that the town did not celebrate Independence Day for years to come. July 4th reminded them of humiliation and surrender. That day was filled with pain, loss and uncertainty.
Though in 1863 the future might have seemed sketchy at best, America was soon to enter into its brightest and most redeeming days. Soon our troops would be saving Europe from tyranny and oppression in World Wars I and II–our best days were yet ahead!
That could be a good word for this 4th of July. It might seem uncertain, but the promises of God and the God of promises is still the same as in the past. God can wash the heart of a nation clean. Where sin abounds, grace can much more abound. If the church repents and prays, God will be faithful to heal our land (2 Chronicles 7:14).
The 2700 year old words of the prophet Isaiah still hold true today. “Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; Remove the evil of your deeds from My sight. Cease to do evil, Learn to do good; Seek justice, Reprove the ruthless; Defend the orphan, Plead for the widow. “Come now, and let us reason together,” Says the LORD, “Though your sins are as scarlet, They will be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They will be like wool. If you consent and obey, You will eat the best of the land…Then I will restore your judges as at the first, And your counselors as at the beginning; After that you will be called the city of righteousness, A faithful city” (Isaiah 1:16-26)
Many are setting this July aside to seek the Lord every day for the restoration and healing of our land. When God’s people cease to enter into the sins of their nation, when they begin to do what is good, when they correct the violent, when they defend the helpless and find justice for the people, God will cleanse even the deepest red of sin and will clean their hearts and make them white as wool. He will restore the reputation of their nation and even give them better leaders. He will give them counselors like unto their nation’s forefathers, and he will give them judges like they had at the beginning of their nation. That’s a good word when we consider the elections coming up in November and the opening on the Supreme Court. Let’s pray that the Church will “wash itself” this year and find the restoration of the blessings of the Land. If we are faithful, our best days could yet be ahead! I believe!