Views From The Pews – Independence Sunday, August 4, 2024

Brothers and Sisters,

The focus of our celebration this week moves from Emancipation to Independence.  Our people were not only freed from slavery, but were freed from political domination of an external power.   With that freedom, we were given the responsibility to manage our own affairs for the greater benefit of all our people.  We know, however, that our failure to manage effectively has led us into severe economic problems that threaten our viability as a nation.  The way forward will be extremely difficult, but if we are prepared to work together and to depend on God’s help we will be able to turn things around for the better.

In the prayer that has been written by our Church for Independence Day, and which is to be added to the list of collects in our Prayer Book, we acknowledge that it is God’s will that all people should live in well-ordered societies.  We are then invited to pray for guidance for our leaders, and all who make decisions on our behalf, that they may direct our affairs in righteousness and peace.  We must take seriously the declaration in the Book of Proverbs that “Righteousness exalts a nation..”,  and know that if we are seeking God’s assistance we must be determined to obey God’s word and walk in God’s way.

On another note, have you ever heard persons say two phrases in conversations?  “Let go and  let God” and “give God a chance.”  Question – Is it not true, that we often suffer from stress brought on by the changes and chances of life, because we do not rely on the strength that God will supply? 

If we closely examine the negative situations we face in life, we can well understand that the times when the going seems most difficult, are the times when we attempt to ‘go it alone’. 

 Deep within the Christian’s mind there is the knowledge that Christ’s will is to take over the reigns of our lives and direct, suggest and control all that we think or do or say!!  The hard question worth asking here is – “could our resistance to the giving of full control of our lives to God be that we know that He means business?  Is it any wonder that we keep Him at arms length?  Let us give God a chance.

Contributed