Romans 8:28-31 NLT
And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. For God knew His people in advance, and He chose them to become like His Son, so that His Son would be the first-born among many brothers and sisters. And having chosen them, He called them to come to Him. And having called them, He gave them right standing with Himself. And having given them right standing, He gave them His glory.
Did you know that of the 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence, more than half of them received degrees from schools that today would be considered seminaries or Bible schools? 14 Did you know that 54 of the 56 were professed Christians and attended worship services regularly? The remaining two were deists that still believed in a Supreme Being and His Divine intervention. 15
These 56 men were appointed by their fellow citizens to determine the course of action for America's liberty to be kept intact. They were united in their cause for America to operate as a free Judeo-Christian nation. The closing words of the Declaration of Independence capture this stance clearly:
"And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor."
The word providence comes from the word provident, which means "making provisions for the future." When the word Providence is capitalized, as it is in our Declaration of Independence, it specifically means God is "conceived as the power sustaining and guiding human destiny." 16
The “Divine Providence” our Founders relied on is still available to us today. Notice this about our Founders: they acted in faith and stood on the principles of the word of God as a choice. No one, not even God Himself, forced them to do it. Part of God’s Providence is the allowance for us to choose. When we seek God in the midst of our decision-making process, we are putting our trust in Him, believing that He has made provision for the future. When we do, we place ourselves in the middle of the purpose He called us to. Why live in worry or strife for what’s coming next? Rather, let’s focus on the truth that God knew us far in advance of our physical birth. Isaiah 46:10 tells us that God knows the end from the beginning and just as our Founders trusted in that truth, we can, too.
Action steps
- Read - Re-read Romans 8:8-31
- Think - Think of what it means to you that “God knows the end from the beginning.”
- Write - Decide how you can choose to seek God in the midst of your decision-making process. Will you make decisions hastily because of pressure, or will you wait for the peace that the wisdom of God provides? Will you live passively waiting for things to “just happen as they will” or will you live with purpose and direction?
- Pray - As you pray today, thank God that He knows your end from the beginning. Recommit to trust in His leading. Ask Him to help you choose His ways for your life today, and believe that He will!
- Take away - You've got a lot to offer. Trust God. He'll continue to provide and guide you.
“To the distinguished character of patriot, it should be our highest glory to add the more distinguished character of Christian”