"That God would graciously pour out His Holy Spirit on us to bring us to a thorough Repentance and effectual Reformation that our iniquities may not be our ruin: that He would restore, preserve, and secure the Liberties of this and all the other British American colonies, and make the Land a mountain of Holiness, and Habitation of Righteousness forever."
On April 19, 1775, the British detachment of soldiers arrived at Lexington Green to find the town’s militia assembled and ready to defend their community. The Battle of Lexington, brief as it was, gave the patriots at Concord the time they needed to collect their arms and ammunition and hide them carefully, as well as to muster their militia. The Minute Men defended themselves well. They forced the British into a disorderly retreat. By the time the British reached Charlestown, they were on the run and only narrowly missed being defeated by seven hundred militia bearing down on them just as they reached the shelter of the British fleet.
On that day, the British lost 273 men, the American militiamen ninety-three. But if the Lexington farmers had not made their stand, thus buying time for Concord— if Revere had not reached Hancock and Adams in time to warn them— in short, if Providence had not intervened several times, the day would have been a total disaster for the Americans.
We note that Governor Trumbull's proclamation does not identify the British as America's primary enemy. Rather it points to the need for repentance and reformation here in the colonies, "that our iniquities may not be our ruin".
A close, honest examination of the whole story behind the shot heard around the world reveals a timeless and certainly timely scriptural truth. The real enemy today is not liberal or conservative, socialist or capitalist, Russia or China, pro choice or pro life, black or white, or any other political, social, economic, emotional agenda or conviction that seems to be the source of anger, discrimination, division, hatred, and violence. The real enemy is still our iniquity, our sin, but sin has already been conquered...
"And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death" (Romans 8:2).
Notice, the "power" that gives freedom from the "power of sin" belongs to those who "belong to him", that is Jesus Christ. The colonial patriots firmly believed an important Biblical truth that we must remember and loudly proclaim to our suffering nation today, that the true power to defeat our real enemy is available to anyone who is born of God through faith in Jesus Christ...
"Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the Father loves whoever has been born of him" (1 John 5:1).
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