More Than Fireworks
Celebrating America's 250th and the God Who Establishes Nations
America is 250
I vividly remember when our country celebrated its bicentennial (200th) birthday in 1976.
At ten years old, just finishing fourth grade, I was chosen to play Betsy Ross in one of the short vignettes for our school’s big bicentennial musical.
I wasn’t exactly thrilled with my costume—a long flowered prairie dress my mom sewed for me, and least of all, Betsy’s white cap. But I did enjoy rocking in an old wooden rocking chair while reciting my lines and pretending to stitch together the original flag of the thirteen colonies.
Our principal even told us he had sent an invitation to then-President Gerald Ford!!
The whole school buzzed with excitement. What if the President actually came? Tiny American flags waved everywhere, and for a bunch of elementary kids, it didn’t seem impossible at all.
Of course, he never showed up.
Needless to say, we were crushed. Looking back, I’m not sure why the adults let us believe there was even a chance! But for a child, it made the celebration all the more memorable.
So perhaps it’s no surprise that America’s birthday has always held a special place in my heart.
Celebrating the Fourth
Every Fourth of July has always felt a little magical to me.
Give me a lawn chair, a picnic, patriotic songs, and fireworks lighting up the summer sky, and I’m a happy girl. Loving this country has always come naturally.
This year, though, our nation’s 250th birthday prompted me to celebrate a little differently.
My husband and I have spent lots of evenings watching documentaries on George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. (Perhaps that’s revealing our age! ;) )
As familiar as their stories seemed from history class, seeing them brought to life reminded me that these were real men who lived through extraordinary hardships. The disease, uncertainty, sacrifice, and unimaginable cost of both the Revolutionary and Civil Wars are difficult to comprehend from the comfort of modern life.
More than anything else, I kept coming away with the same thought:
It’s remarkable that this nation exists at all.
If it weren’t for the grace of God, I’m certain we wouldn’t be celebrating America’s 250th birthday this weekend.
Now, I know our nation still wrestles with deep divisions and difficult questions. And that there will never be a perfect country due to our human bent toward sin. That’s not what this reflection is about.
Instead, these documentaries stirred something much deeper in me.
They reminded me that long before America declared its independence, God was directing history. Long before presidents, armies, or constitutions, He was establishing nations, appointing rulers, and accomplishing His purposes.
Scripture has always made that abundantly clear.
God’s Sovereignty
Ponder these verses with me:
(Note: all the emphasis and italics below are my own…)
“From one man he created all the nations throughout the whole earth. He decided beforehand when they should rise and fall, and he determined their boundaries.
(Acts 17:26, NLT).
He controls the course of world events;
he removes kings and sets up other kings.
(Daniel 2:21, NLT)
Remember the former things, those of long ago; I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me.
I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say, ‘My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please.’
(Isaiah 46:9b-10, NIV)
Other passages such as Deuteronomy 32:8, Job 12:23, and Jeremiah 1:5 echo this same truth.
God Establishes the Nations, and Our Purpose
As I celebrate America’s birthday this weekend, what fills me with the greatest wonder isn’t simply that this nation has endured 250 years.
It’s that none of what has happened surprised God.
Before there was an America, He knew its story.
Before there was a Declaration of Independence, He knew the boundaries of nations.
Before you or I ever took our first breath, He knew exactly when and where we would live.
That means your life and mine isn’t an accident of history.
We were born into this generation, in this nation, with its freedoms, opportunities, and challenges, because God is still accomplishing His purposes.
I know I have readers from other countries, and I’m hoping you will get this same sense of wonder today about God placing you in your own special place.
I don’t know what He has entrusted specifically to you, but I do know this: He placed you here in the USA (or your country) intentionally.
That thought leaves me full of wonder and standing in awe. I hope it does the same for you.
Blessings, dear reader friends.
And to my American friends, Happy Independence Day :)
For Worship:
“God Bless the USA”!!
A beautiful version Lee Greenwood made with US soldiers in 2021 (post-pandemic).
*Pics by 1) Osman Rana and 2) Ray Hennessy 3) Tony Wiek and 4) Lucas on Unsplash
For Reference:
Holy Bible, New Living Translation copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.. Used with permission. All rights reserved worldwide.