For such a time as this (Mordecai to Esther (Esther 4:14)” – preparing our hearts for the 4th of July: On May 17, 1776, prior to the writing of the Declaration of Independence and the war that was to follow, the Continental Congress called for a “Day of Fasting, Humiliation and Prayer.” John Witherspoon, President of the College of New Jersey (later to be known as Princeton) said, “While we give praise to God, the supreme disposer of all events, for His interposition on our behalf, let us guard against the dangerous error of trusting in, or boasting of, an arm of flesh.”

On July 4, 1776 on two men signed the newly composed and written Declaration: John Hancock and Charles Thomson. Most of the others added their signatures on August 5th, but the final signature was not secured until one year later!