The Year was 1776. A group of men, young and old, rich and poor, doctors, lawyers, politicians, farmers, all gathered together in the stifling heat of a closed courtroom to sign their names on a single document that would ultimately brand them as traitors.
Some labeled it as treason. Others as an act long past due.
And others still, for hundreds of years later, called it the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
Many of us today, living in the freedom our forefathers fought and died for, don’t realize just how big an act severing ties with England was. We can’t grasp just how much they were willing to lose to be independent.
And, maybe the saddest yet, some don’t acknowledge the unrelenting faith these people had in our Father in heaven.
Nowadays, people are trying to erase our past. They’re trying to make us believe that our forefathers were heartless slave traders with no moral compass. Nothing could be further from the truth. These were the men who opened the meetings of the Continental Congress with prayer. Who sought God and His wisdom in their decisions. Who prayed to Him for deliverance from their persecution.
And it was the Lord who was with them through it all.
Tiny but Mighty
Size speaking, the Americans were tiny in everything except geography. The colonies might have been many times the size of England, but the British army far outnumbered the American one. They were better equipped, better trained—basically, it was a cinch in their eyes that they would win.
On top of that, America had no munitions factory. Every weapon they had was either brought from home or confiscated from the British. The soldiers who fought had no formal training and rarely any military background to speak of. Oftentimes they went without uniform, and, even more frequently, food.
The only thing they were in no short supply of, however, was spirit.
The Americans, by every right, were the underdogs. The team voted least likely to win. And these were the people who took on one of the strongest armies in the world at the time, completely inexperienced and terribly unorganized, and defeated them.
I challenge anyone who tries to claim the Lord wasn’t with them.
The Fog That Saved the Army
It was coming up to the end of August in the year 1776. The British had just attacked Brooklyn on three fronts, and the Americans directly on two, with a third force of about ten thousand sent to outflank the patriots through a little-used pass.
Fortunately, about four hundred men from Maryland were able to keep the British occupied enough for the rest of the American forces to retreat to Brooklyn Heights. But it wasn’t looking good for Washington’s army. British General William Howe, fully expecting a surrender, ordered trenches to be dug, awaiting the King’s ships to sail around and cut off any chance of escape towards Manhattan.
Well . . . those ships never made it. And why ever not?
There wasn’t enough wind to get them there.
And it only gets better.
General Washington jumped on this Providential delay, ordering every boat available to the East River to rescue his men—which came to a total of about nine thousand soldiers in all. As night fell and rain poured, boats crossed back and forth, ferrying the American soldiers to the other side at a feverish pace.
The only problem was, as the sun began to dawn, a large portion of soldiers were still stuck in Brooklyn. If the British saw them—and they were bound to—they were as good as dead.
Deuteronomy 4:31 says, “(For the Lord thy God is a merciful God;) he will not forsake thee, neither destroy thee, nor forget the covenant of thy fathers which he sware unto them.” And He had certainly not forgotten. As the sun rose higher in the sky, a heavy fog settled on the ground, completely hiding the Continental Army from sight and giving them the time to completely escape.
By the time the fog finally lifted, all the British had were bewildered expressions at their foes complete and utter disappearance.
The Infamous Arnold
If I say the name “Benedict Arnold,” the first thing that probably comes to mind is “traitor.” I mean, the guy kinda had it coming, what with the whole betraying-his-side thing. Once bitten, twice shy, they say.
But the details of his betrayal are nothing short of providential.
Arnold had everything going for him. He’d met with John André, negotiated terms for his deflection, and, in a show of good faith, handed over the plans and fortifications to West Point, which he was currently in command of.
André took the plans and rode off, leaving Arnold fully confident in his plans to betray the Americans. But, near Tarrytown, New York, André was stopped by three militia men and searched.
Anyone want to guess what they found in the sole of his boot?
Yep. A military inventory of the entirety of West Point, signed by none other than its commanding officer, General Benedict Arnold.
Had those soldiers not been where they were, the British would have laid siege and overtaken one of the most important forts the Americans had.
Discarded Notes and Surprise Attacks
Who here remembers that fateful night that Washington crossed the Delaware to launch a surprise attack on the British?
Now how many of you remember the little providential details that fell into place to make it possible?
Let’s start with the weather. It was terrible. Conditions were miserable. As one soldier put it, “it rained, hailed, snowed, and froze, and at the same time blew a perfect hurricane.” While that hardly seems suitable weather to launch a surprise attack, it was actually a great thing, as it forced the Hessians to leave their posts and go back to their quarters in Trenton, thus giving Washington the element of surprise up until the very last minute.
If that wasn’t spectacular enough, the Americans were actually spotted by a British spy as they rowed across the river. Said spy took off towards Trenton to sound the alarm. But, on that particularly blustery night, the commander was enjoying himself with a nice bout of cards and didn’t wish to be disturbed.
The spy then scribbled his message on a scrap of paper and gave it to a servant to pass to the commander. The commander, however, took the note and slid it into his pocket, not even bothering to read it.
Later that night, Washington executed a complete surprise attack, taking the Hessians by total surprise, and all because the commander had failed to read the note warning of the attack.
And the lists go on and on. How Geroge Washinton had two horses shot out from under him, and four bullets shot through his coat, yet walked away unscathed. The fact that we should have been annihilated in the battle of Bunker Hill. And that part where the brutal winter at Valley Forge should’ve brought the patriot cause to a screeching halt.
But we pressed on. We kept going. We picked ourselves up and learned from our mistakes.
In the words of Benjamin Franklin:
“I have lived a long time, Sir, a long time, and the longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth—that God governs in the affairs of men.”
I couldn’t agree more. The hand of the Lord was so clearly seen through the entire War for Independence, it is impossible to think that He was not with us.
There was a reason the British feared the prayers of the bold Patriot chaplains more than an entire regiment of sharpshooters.
As you celebrate the day we declared our freedom so many years ago with good food, fellowship, and fireworks, remember how that freedom was won—with the lives of those passionate towards their cause and under the guidance and wisdom of the Lord our God.
“But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.” (Matthew 19:26)
(Originally published on Chosen for Christ!)
Which was your favorite account of the hand of God during the American Revolution? Who was your favorite founding father? Do have another example of the Lord's Providential hand during that trying time? I'd love to hear in the comments below!
Catch ya on the flip side!
_Mac 🤎