Something To Believe In

In Psalm 150, we can find some reasons for praising God and some ways that can be done. The final verse says:
6 Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord!

So, if you're breathing, you qualify!  You are invited to participate in the wondrous celebration of who the Lord is and what He has done.  Notice that the phrase, "Praise the Lord," is mentioned twice in that verse.  I think that can remind us that this is important!

OK, back to verse 2 and following:
2 Praise Him for His mighty acts; Praise Him according to His excellent greatness!
3 Praise Him with the sound of the trumpet; Praise Him with the lute and harp!
4 Praise Him with the timbrel and dance; Praise Him with stringed instruments and flutes!
5 Praise Him with loud cymbals; Praise Him with clashing cymbals!

In this passage, musical praise is highlighted, but that is not the exclusive way in which we can give God the praise.  We are called to honor Him, to praise and worship Him, with all our hearts, allowing our love of God to flow from our hearts through our mouths.   Verse 2 says we can praise Him for His mighty acts - what He has done - and His excellent greatness - who He is!  We can examine how we can offer Him the sacrifice of praise...this day.

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Many have celebrated Independence Day, the Fourth of July, and it really can be joyous occasion, as we reflect on this great nation, which has experienced, I believe, the hand of God.  So, we approach
our celebration of the 4th with thanksgiving to God. Romans 14 provides a watchword:
5 One person esteems one day above another; another esteems every day alike. Let each be fully convinced in his own mind.
6 He who observes the day, observes it to the Lord; and he who does not observe the day, to the Lord he does not observe it. He who eats, eats to the Lord, for he gives God thanks; and he who does not eat, to the Lord he does not eat, and gives God thanks.
7 For none of us lives to himself, and no one dies to himself.
8 For if we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. Therefore, whether we live or die, we are the Lord's.

So, once again, our nation has observed Independence Day - with a variety of forms of expression. Here are a few facts about the holiday, from an article at GreenvilleOnline.com from South Carolina, who interviewed Kelly Smith of the Upcountry History Museum at Furman University:

The first parade to commemorate the event took place in 1785 in Bristol, Rhode Island.

The day was first designated as a national holiday in 1870.

Interestingly enough, only two men actually signed the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776: John Hancock and Charles Thompson.

And, the signers were not only senior citizens. Smith says, “The representative for South Carolina, Thomas Lynch Jr. was the youngest person to sign it...He was 27. Ben Franklin was the oldest at 70. Thomas Jefferson was the ripe old age of 33.”

John Adams refused to celebrate the holiday on July 4 - he chose July 2 instead, which was the day independence was declared.  Smith points out: “Adams was overruled,” adding, “He refused to celebrate on July 4th. He and Jefferson had a tempestuous relationship, so I’m not sure it wasn’t out of spite.”  And, perhaps you know this, but Smith says that, "They both died on July 4, 1826.”

Jefferson died in the morning, Adams later in day.  Adams did not know of Jefferson's death when he spoke his last words, which were, according to Smith, "‘He lives’ or ‘Jefferson lives.’ Even in their last breath, their rivalry continued."

But Adams was certainly not averse to celebrating the Fourth, er, the Second...writing to his wife, Abigail, that it should be celebrated by "pomp and parade"..."from one end of this continent to the other," according to the InfoPlease website.  He believed it would be celebrated as the "great anniversary festival."

Well, let's talk about several aspects of the Fourth that can actually apply to our spiritual lives. First of all, we can reflect on the power of celebration.  What have we seen God do in our lives?  We can celebrate, with a spirit of thankfulness, how we have seen His hand move, and we can reflect on the nature of our great God.   We can approach life with a spirit of celebration, and on this recent occasion, we can be thankful for the great nation in which God has placed us to live.

I think we can also highlight the power of consistency.  In other words, we can be challenged to not just celebrate God's blessings on our nation and our freedoms once or twice a year, but to have an abiding spirit of thankfulness as Americans.  And, we just don't worship God on special occasions or in once-a-week worship attendance.   We can regularly give God praise for how we have seen Him operate in and through us.

Finally, just a word about the power of conviction.   Those 56 brave men, as well as so many others who would be considered our founders, were driven by a passion for independence, a thirst for freedom.  They pursued a cause greater than themselves.  We can be challenged also to pursue God's plans for us, to embrace causes that are in line with His principles, and to allow Him to develop a passion for what is within His heart.