One of my favorite phrases from the Declaration of Independence is found in the fifth of the “Facts” given to support the American departure from the British Crown. In this particular remonstrance, the founders complained that King George had “dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.” Manly firmness indeed!

Before the dust settled and the United States was secure in its “separate and equal station,” there was a lot more “manly firmness” to be put on display. With each stroke of the pen, the signers of the Declaration committed themselves to total freedom, or a traitor’s death. From Lexington to Valley Forge to the final negotiation table in Paris, the journey to freedom would be marked by struggle, blood, and incredibly fortitude. Each hardship along the way posed yet another threat to the dream of a new nation on the world’s stage. Every loss on the battlefield, and there were many, made deliverance seem more and more unlikely.

What a contrast that is to the victory we have in Christ. Like the Israelites in the wilderness, our task is not to achieve triumph through our own shed blood, but to trust in the accomplished work of God on our behalf. Our journey is not a smooth and easy one, but it is a path we may walk with complete confidence in the final outcome. As the song of Moses declared, we are the redeemed, and the God who leads us has committed Himself to us in lovingkindness. His great strength, and not ours, is what will guide us to the place of our everlasting habitation.

The Christian life, in other words, is not a gamble. It is not a grim roll of the dice. It is not a calculated risk. Such “manly firmness” as may be on display in our lives is not the steadfastness of an optimistic dreamer, but the confident resolve of a child who stands in the shadow of the One who knows the end from the beginning.

For our earthly nation, there will be fireworks and flags to mark our independence as long as this union of states is granted existence by God. For those of us who heed first the King of an everlasting land, however, let there be communion and hosannas until the Lord returns.

The Lord shall reign forever and ever, after all.

Let every horse, and every rider, beware.