Daily Devotion for July 4, 2026

8 The Lord is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.

9 The Lord is good to all, and his compassion is over all that he has made.

10 All your works shall give thanks to you, O Lord, and all your faithful shall bless you.

11 they shall speak of the glory of your kingdom, and tell of your prayer,

12 to make known to all people your mighty deeds, and the glorious splendor of your kingdom

13 Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures throughout all generations.

14 The Lord upholds all who are falling and raises up all who are bowed down.

Today is Independence Day and the Semi quincentennial or 250th birthday of the United States. So much to ponder as far as this psalm and the meaning of it as it applies to us on this special holiday. God is good all the time through our lives and we need to remember that. Contrary to some popular beliefs not all of the founders of our country were Christians. Several were deists and believed in “religion of nature,“ based on reason not scripture. Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, Ethan Allen and Thomas Paine were among this group. The term Divine Providence also was used by others and many colonists felt that God was present and working in their lives, but not all believed in Jesus. Many attended church regularly and were considered orthodox Christians, believing in their respective denominations. There was a signer of the Declaration of Independence from Maryland who was the only Catholic and experienced severe restrictions regarding his Christian faith.

Not everyone agreed on breaking away from Great Britain and about 50% were in favor of it with mixed number of Loyalists and some people indifferent about all of it. Many of the colonists or their ancestors had come to the New World for religious freedom. These colonial founders tried to flee from religious persecutions include both my husband and my ancestors settling in New York and North Carolina, respectively.

Today there are divisions of opinions, as there have been throughout our history. Prior to the Civil War, Senator William Henry Seward (Seward’s Folly-the purchase of Alaska) from Maine and Senator Jefferson Davis (later the president of the Confederacy) from Mississippi were political rivals and very good friends away from the political scene. Senator Seward invited Senator Davis’ family to Maine during the summers because malaria was rampant in Washington D.C. and Mississippi. President Ronald Reagan and Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tip O’Neill were also at different ends of the political spectrum but also had a lifelong friendship through their political differences. What we do with our differences does matter. God is watching over all of us. We are told to love our neighbor and those very different from us.

The psalm shows us how loving our God is for ALL of us, not just some of us. We need to remember that with our words, actions and attitudes. No sneer of the nose, no smirk of the mouth, no rolling of eyes which convey disrespect. No statement and then say BUT, which negates someone else and no dissing another denomination or religion. We must be ever thankful for all the blessings of plenty that we have been given and continue to show God’s great love and mercy to everyone with kindness and tolerance of those with vastly different views of the world. God is in charge. We don’t know why or how our world is going to be in the future. We can keep ourselves from jumping into the same holes like the sheep that Chad so aptly showed us in the video in his April sermon.

May each of you have a joyous Independence Day and remember to always thank God for his many blessings upon our nation and the people who inhabit it. Be safe, be kind and be free.

Let us pray - Dear Lord, You have endowed us with a beautiful homeland, bountiful riches and opportunities that are unparalleled throughout history. Continue to guide us in your ways so that we may continue to love you, and all others. Amen

Cindy Dougherty

beachspch@aol.com

Prayer Concern - Remembering that we need to continue to pray for peace in the world and at home. Help us to model tolerate behavior, words and actions toward others.

Alternative verses-Luke 10:21-24, Zechariah 4:1-7