On July 4, 1863, Vicksburg, Mississippi surrendered to Ulysses S. Grant and the Confederacy was essentially cut in half.
President Lincoln said that The Mississippi “again goes unvexed to the sea.”
It was the same day that General Lee marched away from Gettysburg.
Surrender is the most humbling thing for generals and their soldiers. The loser goes from being the master of thousands to the servant of one.
And yet, The South eventually prospered under its new master.
Surrender isn’t just for soldiers. Daily, we can either be our own masters or give in to God.
On July 4th, we remember these two critical battles that saved our nation. Let us also think on how hard God fights to liberate us and gets us to wave our white flag so that we can live in the freedom of his benevolent kingdom.
PORTAL TO HEAVEN: Surrender seems so hard on any level and yet it’s like a child who doesn’t want to give in to bedtime, but afterwards is rewarded with the peace and rest of a good night’s sleep.
Whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it…Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship...O LORD, you are our Father. We are the clay, and you are the potter. We all are formed by your hand.
Matthew 16:24 NASB, Romans 12:1 NASB, Isaiah 64:8 NLT