
That sounded pretty good to them – rather than Thy will/God’s be done, my will be done. It’s all about me – what I want, when, where, how I want. Everything revolves around my will be done. And when Adam and Eve followed “my will” instead of “thy will,” they chose the opposite of freedom. They chose slavery, slavery to sin and Satan and death. That’s the opposite of independence.
Getting my way isn’t freedom, not in God’s eyes. True freedom doesn’t come from a country or a political party or an individual leader. It comes from the truth. In John 8, Jesus says, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (vv. 31-32)
Verse 22 of Lamentations 3 says this quite precisely, “By the mercies of the Lord we are not consumed, for his compassions do not fail.” We do not need nor do we want spiritual independence. That’s a one way ticket to hellfire and an eternity apart from God. We depend on God’s mercy. Without it, we are lost. And Jeremiah, the author of this woefully titled book of Lamentations, assures us that the Lord’s mercies never fail. His grace never runs out. Romans 5:20 declares, “Where sin increased, grace increased all the more, so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Forget prideful declarations of independence and false freedom. This is our necessary declaration of dependence. It is only “by the mercies of the Lord we are not consumed, for his compassions do not fail.” On the day of your baptism, on the day God brought you to faith, he marked you as his own and ever since, you and I have received one blessing after another. Spiritual blessings of repentance and faith. A place of worship where the Word of God is proclaimed faithfully and the Lord’s Supper is received personally for the assurance of forgiveness. Every day, we rejoice in our dependence upon our Savior. Every day is “Happy In Dependence Day!”
As we celebrate July 4th, we’re also reminded of God’s grace upon our nation. The Lord has granted the United States of America tremendous blessings. The freedoms and opportunities we have are without parallel in human history. We have freedom to choose from seemingly limitless opportunities for everything from occupation to recreation, from religion to politics. America owes its greatness to God’s guidance and blessing alone. Our nation needs God’s mercy and promises.
Not everyone thinks this, of course. There’s a whole lot of anti-God, anti-Christian culture and scheming and mockery out there. Marriage is treated lightly. Gender and sexuality are personal choices, we’re told now, much like shopping online at Amazon – just put your choices in your cart and move on. Life is considered disposable at both its beginning and its end.
How do Christians react to all this? How do you react? Well, there are many who feel like we need to protect Jesus. Political candidates and the cancel culture are going all out to destroy the Bible. Wait, what?
So…the church has lasted longer than Nero and anyone else who’s tried to destroy it. The New Testament church has lasted for 2000 years. Jesus says it will – by his grace and power – even stand up against the gates of hell – but now in 2024 some politician or the cancel culture or social media trolls are going to destroy the Bible?
Is our God that puny, is our God that weak that we’ve got to protect Jesus and his Word from the cancel culture and anti-Christian views? You know what Jesus says to that? “Uh, you do know that I rose from the dead, right? Every star you see – I created them all and placed them all and keep them right where they are. I walked on water. I healed the sick. I raised the dead. I died on the cross. I rose from the dead. I am the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.”
What does our country need more than anything else? Not a certain political party. Not a change in the laws. What do we need? The truth. We need more of God’s Word, more of God’s people sharing the mercy and promises of our gracious, Almighty Lord. That’s what changes hearts. That’s what changes minds. That’s what sets people free.
May we continue to live as faithful citizens of two kingdoms: the kingdom of heaven and our earthly home, the United States of America. And may this brief but important Scripture serve as a powerful reminder of the blessing of being in dependence on our Savior: “By the mercies of the Lord we are not consumed, for his compassions do not fail. They are new every morning. Great is your faithfulness.”
(Lamentations 3:22,23)
Grateful for Grace,
Pastor Stephen Luchterhand