Having just commemorated Memorial Day in which we honor our military service members who have died in combat throughout our history as a nation, we are coming upon two additional extraordinary days that are worth our attention and devotion. In just a few days, our country will celebrate in a special way the lives of those who dared everything 75 years ago when American, British and Canadian military forces stormed the beaches of Normandy to free Europe from the iron boot of National Socialism – the Nazis.
Roughly one month after this, we will celebrate the Fourth of July, remembering the day in 1776 when Americans declared themselves free of the tyranny that had become British rule of the colonies. The Declaration of Independence is still cherished by most Americans as one of our key founding documents. Over one million Americans have died in combat, both to make that declaration a reality and to preserve the United States of America.
How does a nation produce such men, willing to give up everything in life for a cause, in many cases for those living in other nations who are oppressed by forces that they alone cannot withstand? To learn this, we must remember something which few Americans know and fewer care about. We must remember the Covenant that the first national government of the United States made with God.
On April 30, 1789, the members of the United States federal government met together for the first time in St. Paul’s Cathedral in New York City to dedicate the newly formed nation under the just-ratified U.S. Constitution to God. George Washington was not elected president – he was acclaimed. Nobody would even think of running against him. The new House of Representatives and Senate along with the Supreme Court declared in unison that this nation would be governed by God and the people would worship Him in the affairs of state and in their own lives. No record of what was said exists – the occasion was too solemn for anyone to take notes. But the event was known to all.
Within 50 years of making that Covenant with God, the United States of America was the envy of the world. In commerce, in war, in the peace and tranquility of the lives of her citizens, The United States was unique. The French writer Alexis de Tocqueville came here in the 1830’s and marveled at what he saw and heard. He wrote a book called “Democracy in America” cataloguing those wonders, and gave God a significant place in his understanding of why this country above all others on the earth at the time was so blessed.
We made a Covenant with God. We were blessed. And then we broke it.
(to be continued)
Jim Kohlmann has been a believing Christian for over 40 years and seen the Lord do marvelous things. He has been a licensed minister with a worldwide sending organization for 15 years and was a Bible teacher and worship leader before that. A small businessman in the Orlando, Florida area, he has ministered in various local churches but most recently has been attached to Intercessors For America, a 45 year old organization based near Washington D.C. that is focused on praying for the restoration of this unique country. He worked for them building prayer networks in various states during the 2016 presidential election. He is married to a fabulous Christian artist and has two grown sons.
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