Great tension filled the air in the
year 1775. In the very early days the colonist stood at a crossroads much like
our nation does today. The thirteen colonies
were at a tipping point. The British Army occupied Boston under the command of
General Thomas Gage.
George Washington proposed intercepting
British ships, but the popular vote in Philadelphia disagreed with this because
they didn’t want to upset the king.
Especially after the Boston Massacre of 1770 and the Boston Tea Party
that took place in December 1773.
General Washington took it upon
himself to commission six privately owned schooners to start his own navy. Some believed this was done at his expense. These
ships were called “Washington’s Navy.”
These vessels sailed flying the “An Appeal to Heaven” flag.
One source I read made this
statement, “The white flag dawning an evergreen tree in the center with the
moniker ‘An Appeal to Heaven’ became the symbol of righteous justification for
the colonies fighting to secure their God-given rights.”[1]
Not long after their first voyage,
The British Ship, “The Nancy,” was captured by the naval vessel, “the Lee.” The
Nancy’s cargo contained muskets, flint, gunpowder, and supplies in such abundance
that it would have taken the colonies more than a year to produce these
supplies.
This capture was one of the most
significant captures of the Revolutionary war.
On April 17, 1776 the state of Massachusetts adopted the “Appeal to
Heaven Flag” as the flag of their navy. This inspirational flag was flown on
floating batteries, on riverbanks, in towns, on battlefields, in places of
worship, and at the city of Philadelphia.
The pine tree on the flag was known
as the liberty pine and the tree of peace.
This symbol of the tree was from the influence of the Iroquois
Indians. At a pivotal point in their
history six tribes in the Great Lakes Region made peace and ratified a
treaty. They buried their weapons
underneath a pine tree. This is believed
to be where the term “bury the hatchet,” originated.
The term “An Appeal to Heaven” came
from the writings of John Locke of England. He is widely regarded as the father
of classic liberalism and limited, republican government. Classic liberalism
believed in the rights of the individual.
His writings became a foundational
philosophy in early American Society. Locke
believed that all mankind derived rights from our Creator rather than from the
rules of civil society. His writings present the idea of God-given, inalienable
rights such as life, liberty, and property.
He then lays out the thought that the
only authority given to a sovereign power is that given by consent of those
being governed.
When all resources and justices on earth are exhausted then
only “An Appeal to Heaven” remains. How
do we defend our God-given rights when they are threatened and we have exhausted
our human resources? We make an “Appeal to Heaven.”
The early
colonies did not have an organized army or navy. When the colonies went to war with England to
win their independence, and to establish the United States of America they
faced the most powerful army and navy in the world at that time. The Colonist
were farmers and shopkeepers. They were
not professional soldiers.
They were ill equipped and faced a
well-trained and well-armed military. What do we do when we are faced with
overwhelming odds? What do we do when we
are outnumbered and outgunned? We make an “Appeal to Heaven.”
The Lord is going to use this flag to
call His people back to the altar of prayer. We must make an “Appeal to
Heaven.” When the colonist flew this flag they were making an appeal to heaven.
Every value that we have as believers
today is under attack. The only group that it is politically correct to attack
is believers. We are out funded and out
numbered. How do we respond? What do we do about a nation that stands at a
tipping point? We make an “appeal to
heaven.”
The Lord is calling His people back
to the place of prayer. He is calling us
to make an appeal to heaven on behalf of our nation. Will you join together with other believers
across our nation in making an “Appeal to Heaven?’
Will you join us in praying the words
of the Psalmist in Psalm 85:6, “Will You not revive us again, that our people
may rejoice in you?” My prayer is that
God will visit our nation with revival and an awakening.
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