Proverbs 14: 34-35
“Righteousness exalts a nation,
But sin is a disgrace to any people.
The king’s favor is toward a servant who acts wisely,
But his anger is toward him who acts shamefully.”
With Independence Day fast approaching, it is timely to be reminded of a quote from one of our Founding Fathers, Patrick Henry:
“Righteousness alone can exalt America as a nation. Reader! Whoever thou art, remember this; and in thy sphere practice virtue thyself, and encourage it in others… The great pillars of all government and social life: I mean virtue, morality, and religion. This is the armor, my friend, and this alone that renders us invincible.”
Undoubtedly, Patrick Henry’s most memorable spoken words were, “Give me liberty, or give me death!” However, in fact, Henry cared much more about being remembered for the 1765 Virginia Stamp Act Resolves, which he authored, laying the groundwork for Colonial Independence. His speeches and correspondence were full of Scripture. The opening phrase from the quote above was taken from Proverbs 14 and was addressed to future Americans. He embraced what the Bible said that “righteousness exalts America,” but he also knew that righteousness wouldn’t come naturally to men, and apart from God, we have no hope of being righteous. Being fully aware of this, he and the other Founding Fathers founded a nation that would be governed in a new way, one where the government would be beholden to the people rather than people beholden to the government, with God as the final authority. May we, the people, trust in God to help us stay the course and keep our eyes focused on our Founding Fathers’ vision for America.
Dear gracious and merciful God, we the people of these United States have walked apart from you, going our own way, doing things that were right in our eyes but not according to God’s Word. Patrick Henry’s prophetic words should cause us to listen up. Righteousness, through Your Son, Christ Jesus, is the only way we can totally restore our nation to “we the people.” Convict us, we pray, O Lord, of our sin and help our country return to the vision our Founders had in mind, where the government is beholden to the people, with You as the final authority. We ask in Jesus’ righteous name. Amen.
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