Independence Day is a day to remember God’s favour on SVG

by Bishop Stephen Ollivierre
St Vincent and the Grenadines District Pentecostal Assemblies of the WI

When we observe Independence Day, it is a jubilant occasion. Our history books have recorded our nation’s past, and many have fondly recounted countless tales of how we arrived at this juncture.

As a people, we should never forsake God’s goodness and mercy in our lives and nation. I compare our Independence to the entrance of the Promised Land by Joshua and the Israelites. They were never to forget the favours God had bestowed upon them.

They were to build a memorial with stones, and God said to them: “When your children ask you, ‘What do these stones mean?’ tell them that the flow of the Jordan was cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord. When it crossed the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. These stones will memorialize the people of Israel forever”. (Joshua 4:6-7).

They were instructed to explain to their offspring how they entered the land and God’s goodness. The memorial was to serve as a lasting sign of His work among the Israelites.

We must teach our children our nation’s history, but we must also educate them on what God has done for this country.
La Soufriere volcano erupted in 2021 with no casualties. Several times, significant storms and hurricanes have passed us by. We lived through the Covid-19 pandemic.

The lyrics of our national anthem remind us that, “What e’er the future brings, Our faith will see us through.”; “May God bless and keep us through.” Our national anthem expresses our unwavering faith in God and the fruit of our dependence on Him. We cannot forsake God, who has brought us through the past and will continue to be with us in the future.

Our children must know our hardships and who brought us through those struggles. It is a bit daunting when we think of the future due to what nations deem as acceptable and what is not. Are we passing down to our children what we have experienced through the mercies and Grace of God? God has and will continue to bless us, and it is our faith that God will see us through. As a people, we should record and remember all He has done for us.

“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise” (Deut. 6:4–7).

On behalf of the Pentecostal Assemblies of the West Indies, the St Vincent and the Grenadines District – To the nation, Happy 44th Independence.