The greatest fear the clergy had 250 years ago was that if the Colonies did not resist tyranny lawfully, the Supreme Judge of the Universe would be their adversary. There is no way you can win a war when God opposes you! When George Washington was appointed by the Second Continental Congress to be the commander of the army on June 14, 1775, it gave birth to our nation’s first military branch. What is significant is that he accepted it in humility, a key quality of leading under authority to both God and civil government. Washington accepted this position on June 16 and said:
“Mr. President, Tho’ I am truly sensible of the high Honour done me in this Appointment, yet I feel great distress, from a consciousness that my abilities & Military experience may not be equal to the extensive & important Trust: However, as the Congress desire it I will enter upon the momentous duty, & exert every power I Possess In their service & for the Support of the glorious Cause: I beg they will accept my most cordial thanks for this distinguished testimony of their Approbation…. As to pay, Sir, I beg leave to Assure the Congress that as no pecuniary consideration could have tempted me to have accepted this Arduous employment at the expense of my domestic ease & happi[ness] I do not wish to make any profit from it: I will keep an exact Account of my expenses… that is all I desire.”
Washington agreed to serve under the civil authority of Congress. Humility is a trait that rarely exists unless the individual operates in the fear and respect of God. His initial orders to the newly formed army took place in Cambridge, Massachusetts on July 4, 1775:
“It is required and expected that exact discipline be observed, and due Subordination prevail thro’ the whole Army, as a Failure in these most essential points must necessarily produce extreme Hazard, Disorder and Confusion, and end in shameful disappointment and disgrace. The General most earnestly requires, and expects, a due observance of those articles of war, established for the Government of the army, which forbid profane cursing, swearing & drunkenness; And in like manner requires & expects, of all Officers, and Soldiers, not engaged on actual duty, a punctual attendance on divine service, to implore the blessings of heaven upon the means used for our safety and defense.”
Note that the two primary qualities listed in this initial order were disciplined submission to authority and the fear of God, noting that “the blessings of heaven” were sought to be the ultimate shelter for safety and defense. The origins of our United States Army, though designed to be ready to defend liberty at a moment’s notice, ultimately rests in humility before God, for He is our ultimate “safety and defense.”
On July 2, 1776, two days before the Declaration was proclaimed, Washington gave one of his most inspiring orders and wrote:
“The time is now near at hand which must probably determine, whether Americans are to be, Freemen, or Slaves; whether they are to have any property they can call their own; whether their Houses, and Farms, are to be pillaged and destroyed, and they consigned to a State of Wretchedness from which no human efforts will probably deliver them. The fate of unborn Millions will now depend, under God, on the Courage and Conduct of this army… Let us therefore rely upon the goodness of the Cause, and the aid of the supreme Being, in whose hands Victory is, to animate and encourage us to great and noble Actions.”
On July 9, 1776, Washington wrote an order announcing the Declaration of Independence. He wrote that Congress created Chaplains: “…Each regiment are directed to procure Chaplains… persons of good Characters and exemplary lives… The blessing and protection of Heaven are at all times necessary… The General hopes and trusts that every officer and man will endeavor so to live and act as becomes a Christian Soldier defending the dearest Rights and Liberties of his country.”
The providential miracles that occurred during the war, of fog, snow, rising and falling rivers, as well as those that preserved George Washington’s life, are too numerous to recount here. However, it is important to recognize that those who fear God and respect His protection, will be apt to see them more clearly when they occur. George Washington’s November 2, 1783 farewell address to the Continental Army was an emotional affair. He said what was clearly on the mind of all who had experienced the years of difficulty they had endured together.
“…The complete attainment (at a period earlier than could have been expected) of the object for which we contended, against so formidable a power, cannot but inspire us with astonishment and gratitude. The disadvantageous circumstances on our part, under which the War was undertaken, can never be forgotten. The singular interpositions of Providence in our feeble condition were such, as could scarcely escape the attention of the most unobserving, while the unparalleled perseverance of the Armies of the United States, through almost every possible suffering and discouragement, for the space of eight long years, was little short of a standing Miracle.”
Let us remember that our armed forces, beginning with the army, were born to defend liberty, not initiate wars. Most importantly, they were born in humility before God. Daniel Roberts, in his hymn “God of Our Fathers” in honor of the centennial of the Declaration, expressed it well when he wrote, “Thy love divine hath led us in the past, In this free land by Thee our lot is cast; Be Thou our Ruler, Guardian, Guide, and Stay, Thy Word our law, Thy paths our chosen way!”
