America is celebrating its 250th anniversary as a nation. For that reason, this month we will be looking at the hand of God in the founding of our country.  What I hope will become clear is that the success of the War for Independence was nothing short of miraculous. From unexplainable weather phenomena to the improbable victories of under-trained militias against the greatest military power in the world, the War for Independence bore the fingerprints of something greater than man alone.

Today we begin with the pre-war protection of George Washington, a man of both action and prayer. Twenty years before the Revolutionary war began (1755), America’s future leader, 23-year-old George Washington, accompanied British General Edward Braddock and 1,300 troops to expel the French from Fort Duquesne, close to modern-day Pittsburgh. While traversing through a wooded ravine, they were ambushed by the French and Indians, in what became known as the Battle of the Monongahela. Washington’s Commander at the time was General Edward Braddock who was killed in the battle. And of the 86 British and American officers, 63 were casualties. However, Washington emerged from the battle by God’s hand as though he had been wearing invisible armor. After the battle, George wrote to his younger brother John on July 18, 1755, saying this:

By the All-Powerful Dispensations of Providence, I have been protected beyond all human probability or expectation; for I had four bullets through my coat, and two horses shot under me, yet escaped unhurt, although death was leveling my companions on every side of me.

Dr. James Craik, Washington’s close friend and personal doctor, said that he considered Washington’s escape from harm on the battlefield that day to be nothing short of miraculous: “‘I expected every moment to see him fall. His duty and situation exposed him to every danger. Nothing but the superintending care of Providence could have saved him from the fate of all around him.”

Later, an Indian warrior in the battle declared: “Washington was never born to be killed by a bullet! I had seventeen fires at him with my rifle and could not bring him to the ground.” The chief reportedly also said, “a power mightier far than us shielded [Washington] from harm,” predicting that he would become a great leader and founder of a mighty nation. This event propelled the statement that George Washington was bulletproof.

Surely God was miraculously watching over a man of God who would become our General in the War for Independence as well as our first President. More about the hand of God in our country’s founding in the next Messenger article.