As most of you realize, we
are very blessed to live in a country where we are free. I enjoy learning about the history of our
country. Some of you have heard the
saying that America is a “divine experiment” meaning that God has a plan for
America. I enjoy reading about how God intervened in the establishment of the
United States. I want to share with you one particular story from the Revolutionary War.
The Battle of Long
Island Decided by Sudden, Inexplicable Fog
On Aug. 27, 1776, just weeks after the
signing of the Declaration of Independence, the British forces already had
George Washington and his Continental Army on the ropes in New York City. There
was no escape across the East River, as the Brooklyn Bridge hadn't been invented
yet, and the water was thick with British warships -- the start of a long
tradition of the East River being full of debris. As the British closed in, it
looked very much like the American Revolution was over just a few weeks in.
The
Divine Intervention: The weather took an unseasonable turn for the worse in New
York on Aug. 29, and for the Continental Army, this seemed like another element
to add to a long list of grievances, being that they were trapped, outnumbered,
ill-equipped, poorly trained, freezing and starving, and it was raining. It
seemed as if God was punishing the Americans with the same weather that usually
makes everyone hate England in the first place.
But this rain turned out to be
one of the best-disguised blessings in history, as it was so foggy the next morning that one could "scarcely discern a man from six yards'
distance," which meant the Brits had to sit on their thumbs until the fog
passed. What was more, for some reason, the fog "concealed from the British the operations of the
Americans, while at New York the atmosphere was perfectly clear." In other
words, the only parts of the city that were foggy were the parts the Brits
needed to see through to figure out what the Washington was up to.
Washington
did not need to shoot the British the next morning; he just needed to get the
out of Brooklyn with enough of his army to continue and win the war with. This
fog provided him with precisely the time and the cover he needed to
successfully sneak all 9,000 of his men into Manhattan while the British sat
back and reminisced about this jolly good London weather. It was like
Washington shouted, "Cover me!" at God, and God had complied like
world's greatest buddy cop. There was not a single loss of life, and Washington
was the last one to leave Long Island ... immediately after he snatched his
whole army and the Revolution straight out of the British Empire's back pocket.
By Jacopo della Quercia
This story reminds me that God is still in control. Even when things seem hopeless or impossible, God still has a plan and is always in control of every situation. With our freedom today, I think we should
celebrate that God is in control. I am excited to hear that 17 of our high school football players prayed to
receive Christ at a recent FCA camp! God has a plan for you, for your kids, for your community, and for our
nation. Trust God, remember He is in control and wants to use us for the plan, which is to make Himself known to the world.
God Bless and Have a Great Independence Day!
Marty BurgessCollege Pastor
