SHOULDER TO SHOULDER #290 -- Part Two of Two
A Growing Nation:
+ In the mid 1800's, Alexis de Tocqueville (1805-1859) said, "I sought for the greatness and genius of America in her commodious harbors and her ample rivers, and it was not there; in her fertile fields and boundless prairies, and it was not there; in her rich mines and her vast world commerce, and it was not there. Not until I went to the churches of America and heard her pulpits aflame with righteousness did I understand the secret of her genius and power. America is great because she is good and if America ever ceases to be good, America will cease to be great."
+ President Franklin Pierce declared, "Let not the foundation of our hope rest upon man's wisdom . . . . It must be felt that there is no national security but in the nation's humble, acknowledged dependence upon God and His overruling providence."
+ President James Buchanan, at his inauguration said, "In entering upon this great office I must humbly invoke the God of our fathers for wisdom and firmness to execute its high and responsible duties in such a manner as to restore harmony and ancient friendship among the people of the several States and to preserve our free institutions throughout many generations."
On another occasion Buchanan said, "We ought to cultivate peace, commerce, and friendship with all nations, and this not merely as the best means of promoting our own material interests, but in a spirit of Christian benevolence toward our fellow-men, wherever their lot may be cast."
+ President James Polk: The magnificent monument to George Washington dominates the National Mall in Washington, D.C. As it towers over the other landmarks of our nation's capital, it proudly proclaims the profound impact he had on the founding of our nation. When the cornerstone was laid for the Washington Monument on July 4, 1848, many citizens and dignitaries were present for the ceremony.
President James K. Polk led the ceremony along with Speaker of the House of Representatives, Robert C. Winthrop. Winthrop spoke eloquently about President Washington's life and impact, referring to his "exalted goodness and greatness to the influence of the Christian religion." Following Winthrop's address, Rev. J. McJilton prayed a stirring and eloquent prayer:
"And now, O Lord of all power and majesty, we humbly beseech Thee to let the wing of Thy protection be ever outspread over the land of Washington! May his people be Thy people! May his God be their God! Never from beneath the strong arm of Thy providence may they be removed; but, like their honored chief, may they acknowledge Thee in peace and in war, and ever serve Thee with a willing, faithful acceptable service! Hear our prayer, we beseech Thee, that the glory of this nation may never be obscured in the gloom of guilt; that its beauty may never be so marred by the foul impress of sin that the light of its religious character shall be dimmed. Open the eyes of the people, and let them see that it is their true interest to study Thy laws, to seek Thy favor, and to worship Thee with a faithful worship..All these mercies and blessings we ask in the name and mediation of Jesus Christ, our most blessed Lord and Savior. Amen."
+ In 1859 the United States Congress took the following action. When the Capitol Building was built, its designers were well aware of the dependence of the members of Congress upon God and prayer. The 83rd Congress designated a small room in the Capitol, near the rotunda, that is always open for the private prayer and meditation of members of Congress. This room is open whenever Congress is in session, and stands as a witness to the need for prayer by our nation's leaders. The focal point of the room is an intricate stained glass window that depicts George Washington kneeling in prayer. Surrounding him are words from Psalm 16: "Preserve me, O God, for in Thee do I put my trust." (copied from Presidential Prayer Team Newsletter)
+ The Navy Hymn was written by Rev. William Whiting, a clergyman who had survived a furious storm at sea in 1861. The words were eventually set to the beloved music. In 1879, Rear Adm. Charles Jackson Train, the choirmaster at Annapolis, began the tradition of closing every worship service with the beloved hymn. It has become a universal favorite of those with a naval background, and was sung at the funeral of President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1945.
The words to the hymn are a prayer that is appropriate for this time in our nation's history, as it has been for over a century. They attest to the saving and protecting power of the Almighty and Triune God. They are an ideal way to pray for all of our service personnel through these continuing days of peril and endangerment for all our troops. .
Eternal Father, strong to save, ...Whose arm hath bound the restless wave, ...Who bidd'st the mighty ocean deep...Its own appointed limits keep;...Oh, hear us when we cry to Thee,...For those in peril on the sea!
O Christ! Whose voice the waters heard...And hushed their raging at Thy word,...Who walked'st on the foaming deep,...And calm amidst its rage didst sleep;...Oh, hear us when we cry to Thee,...For those in peril on the sea!
Most Holy Spirit! Who didst brood...Upon the chaos dark and rude,...And bid its angry tumult cease,...And give, for wild confusion, peace;...Oh, hear us when we cry to Thee,...For those in peril on the sea!
O Trinity of love and power!...Our brethren shield in danger's hour;...From rock and tempest, fire and foe, ...Protect them wheresoe'er they go;...Thus evermore shall rise to Thee...Glad hymns of praise from land and sea.
+ William Holmes McGuffey, author of the McGuffey Reader and called by President Lincoln the "Schoolmaster of the Nation", used the Bible as the curricular and moral foundation of his book that was used in public schools for over 100 years until it was stopped in 1963. McGuffey said, "The Christian religion is the religion of our country. From it are derived our notions on the character of God, on the great moral Governor of the universe. On its doctrines are founded the peculiarities of our free institutions. From no source has the author drawn more conspicuously than from the sacred Scriptures. From all these extracts from the Bible I make no apology."
+ In 1864 the Congress of the United States approved adding the phrase "In God We Trust" to the two-cent coin. In 1908 legislation was passed, and the phrase was mandatory on all coins. In 1955 it became mandatory as well on all paper currency.
A Challenged and Protected Nation:
+ During the Civil War President Abraham Lincoln spoke and called for national prayer in the midst of the Civil War. "WHEREAS, The Senate of the United States; devoutly recognizing the Supreme authority and just government of Almighty God in all the affairs of men and nations, has, by a resolution, requested the President to designate and set apart a day for National prayer and humiliation. And Whereas, it is the duty of nations, as well as of men, to owe their dependence upon the overruling power of God, to confess their sins and transgressions, in humble sorrow, yet with assured hope that genuine repentance will lead to mercy and pardon, and to recognize the sublime truth announced in the Holy Scriptures and proven by all history, that those nations only are blessed whose God is the Lord."
In His legendary Gettysburg Address on November 19, 1863, Lincoln said, "Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal . . . that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom ---- and that government of the people, by the people, and for the people, shall not perish from the earth.
On March 4, 1865, in his attempt to heal the wounds from the Civil War, President Lincoln said, "With malice toward none; with charity for all; with firmness in the right, as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in; to bind up the nation's wounds; to care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow, and his orphan - to do all which may achieve and cherish a just, and a lasting peace, among ourselves, and with all nations." -- Second Inaugural Address, March 4, 1865
On another occasion, President Lincoln said, "I believe the Bible is the best gift God has ever given to man. All the good from the Savior of the world is communicated to us through this book."
Again, President Lincoln: "I am much indebted to the good Christian people of the country for their constant prayers and consolations; and to no one of them, more than to yourself."
Another of Lincoln's quotes goes like this: "It is the duty of nations, as well as of men, to own their dependence upon the overruling power of God and to recognize the sublime truth announced in the Holy Scriptures and proven by all history, that those nations only are blessed whose God is the Lord."
+ President Ulysses S. Grant said, "Hold fast to the Bible as the sheet anchor of our liberties; write its precepts on your heart and practice them in your lives. To the influence of this Book we are indebted for the progress made, and to this we must look as our guide in the future."
+ The Washington Monument stands as a lofty and inspiring tribute to our first president, George Washington. It is the anchor on the west end of the National Mall. Few people know that engraved on the metal cap to the monument, towering 555 feet above the ground are the words, "Praise be to God." In addition, several tribute blocks line the staircase, and they are inscribed with Bible verses: "Suffer the little children to come unto me and forbid them not; for such is the Kingdom of God (Luke 18:16)," "Search the Scriptures (John 5:39; Acts 17:11)," and "Holiness unto the Lord (Exodus 28:36); 39:30; Zechariah 14:20)." (copied from "The Presidential Prayer Team Newsletter")
+ On his inauguration day, President Benjamin Harrison said, "Entering thus solemnly into covenant with each other, we may reverently invoke and confidently expect the favor and help of Almighty God--that He will give to me wisdom, strength, and fidelity, and to our people a spirit of fraternity and a love of righteousness and peace."
+ William Henry Harrison said, "I deem the present occasion sufficiently important and solemn to justify me in expressing to my fellow-citizens a profound reverence for the Christian religion and a thorough conviction that sound morals, religious liberty, and a just sense of religious responsibility are essentially connected with all true and lasting happiness."
Harrison also said, "God has placed upon our head a diadem and has laid at our feet power and wealth beyond definition or calculation. But we must not forget that we take those gifts upon the condition that justice and mercy shall hold the reins of power and that the upward avenues of hope shall be free to all the people."
+ President Grover Cleveland said, "Above all, I know there is a Supreme Being Who rules the affairs of men and Whose goodness and mercy have always followed the American people, and I know He will not turn from us now If we humbly and reverently seek His powerful aid."
+ Upon his inauguration, President William B. McKinnley said, "I assume the arduous and responsible duties of President of the United States, relying upon the support of my countrymen and invoking the guidance of Almighty God."
McKinnley also commented, "The more profoundly we study this wonderful Book [the Bible] the more closely we observe its divine precepts, the better citizens we will become and the higher will be the destiny of our nation."
+ President Theodore Roosevelt was asked to write an inscription for the American soldiers' pocket New Testaments, given out during World War I by the New York Bible Society in 1917 hen American troops were fighting in France and Belgium during World War I. The following are his words, meant for soldiers facing battle:
"The teaching of the New Testament is foreshadowed in Micah's verse: 'What doth the Lord require of thee than to do justice, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God.' Do justice; and therefore fight valiantly against those that stand for the reign of Moloch and Beelzebub on this earth. Love mercy; treat your enemies well; succor the afflicted; treat every woman as if she were your sister; care for the little children; and be tender with the old and helpless. Walk humbly; you will do so if you study the life and teachings of the Savior, walking in His steps. And remember: the most perfect machinery of government will not keep us as a nation from destruction if there is not within us a soul. No abounding of material prosperity shall avail us if our spiritual senses atrophy." -- President Theodore Roosevelt
+ President Woodrow Wilson declared, "The Bible . . . is the one supreme source of revelation of the meaning of life, the nature of God, and spiritual nature and needs of men. It is the only guide of life which really leads the spirit in the way of peace and salvation. America was born a Christian nation. America was born to exemplify that devotion to the elements of righteousness, which are derived from the revelations of Holy Scriptures. Part of the destiny of Americans lies in their daily perusal of this great book of revelations. That if they would see America free and pure they will make their own spirits free and pure by this baptism of the Holy Spirit."
On another occasion he said, "I know now what the task means. I realize to the full the responsibility which it involves. I pray God that I may be given the wisdom and the prudence to do my duty in the true spirit of this great people."
Wilson again said, "The feelings with which we face this new age of right and opportunity sweep across our heartstrings like some air out of God's own presence, where justice and mercy are reconciled and the judge and the brother are one."
Again, President Wilson remarked, "I summon all honest men, all patriotic, all forward-looking men, to my side, God helping me, I will not fail them, if they will but counsel and sustain me!"
+ In his inaugural speech, President Warren Harding said, "I accept my part with single-mindedness of purpose and humility of spirit, and implore the favor and guidance of God in His Heaven."
+ President Warren Harding said, "If I felt that there is to be sole responsibility in the Executive for the America of tomorrow I should shrink from the burden. But here are a hundred millions, with common concern and shared responsibility, answerable to God and country."
+ President Calvin Coolidge said, "The foundations of our society and our government rest so much on the teachings of the Bible that it would be difficult to support them if faith in these teachings would cease to be practically universal in our country."
Coolidge also said, "America seeks no earthly empire built on blood and force. No ambition, no temptation, lures her to thought of foreign dominions. The legions which she sends forth are armed, not with the sword, but with the cross. The higher state to which she seeks the allegiance of all mankind is not of human, but of divine origin. She cherishes no purpose save to merit the favor of Almighty God."
Yet again, Coolidge stated, "Our doctrine of equality and liberty and humanity comes from our belief in the brotherhood of man, through the fatherhood of God."
In regard to the American flag, Coolidge said, "We identify the flag with almost everything we hold dear on earth. It represents our peace and security, our civil and political liberty, our freedom of religious worship, our family, our friends, our home. . . "
+ When he was sworn in, President Herbert Hoover stated, "This occasion is not alone in the administration of the most sacred oath which can be assumed by an American citizen. It is a dedication and consecration under God to the highest office in service of our people. I assume this trust in the humility of knowledge that only through the guidance of Almighty Providence can I hope to discharge its ever-increasing burdens."
Hoover also said, "In the presence of my countrymen, mindful of the solemnity of this occasion, knowing what the task means and the responsibility it involves, I beg your tolerance, your aid, and your cooperation. I ask the help of Almighty God in this service to my country to which you have called me."
+ President Franklin Delano Roosevelt is quoted as saying, "The Almighty God has blessed our land in many ways. He has given our people stout hearts and strong arms with which to strike mighty blows for freedom and truth. He has given to our country a faith which has become the hope of all peoples in an anguished world."
Roosevelt also stated, "While this duty rests upon me I shall do my utmost to speak their purpose and to do their will, seeking Divine guidance to help us each and every one to give light to them that sit in darkness and to guide our feet into the way of peace."
Roosevelt on another occasion said, "So we pray to Him now for the vision to see our way clearly ---- to see the way that leads to a better life for ourselves and for all our fellow men ---- to the achievement of His will to peace on earth."
Again, Roosevelt said, "My fellow citizens, no people on earth have more cause to be thankful than ours, and this is said reverently, in no spirit of boastfulness in our own strength, but with gratitude to the Giver of God Who has blessed us with the conditions which have enabled us to achieve so large a measure of well being and of happiness."
Just prior to D-Day, President Roosevelt was faced with a dilemma. Our nation was weary from the efforts of the war on two vast fronts. The loss of life and mounting expenses were great concerns. Many long months and the sharpest military strategy had gone into the plans for the D-Day invasion at Normandy. He had agreed to the massive buildup of troops and equipment. Never before had so many personnel been assembled in the joint efforts of British and American cooperation in times of war.
On the evening of June 6, 1944, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt addressed the nation by radio. His words were historic, but not unprecedented. Seeking to comfort the nation and ask the blessing of God, President Roosevelt did as many had done before him, asking the nation to seek God at such a crucial time. He said, "In this poignant hour, I ask you to join with me in prayer." To hear President Roosevelt's prayer, click on the link in the box below.
The following are excerpts from his prayer: "Almighty God, Our sons, pride of our Nation, This day have set upon a mighty endeavor; a struggle to preserve our republic, our religion, and our civilization, and to set free a suffering humanity...
"They fight to end conquest... They fight to liberate... They yearn but for the end of battle, for their return to the haven of home.
"Success may not come with rushing speed, but we shall return again and again; and we know by Thy grace, and the righteousness of our cause, our sons will triumph.
Thy will be done, Almighty God, Amen. -- President Franklin Delano Roosevelt
Finally, Roosevelt said, "As Americans, we go forward, in the service of our country, by the will of God."
Stealing A Nation:
+ During the 1940's and 1950's a series of steps, fostered by the progressive liberalization of the United States Supreme Court, were taken which began the progressive deterioration of our spiritual foundations. Often unseen by the human eye, much like termites, the weakening of moral and spiritual framework started taking place through the "revisionist" movement.
It began in 1947 with a shift of philosophy and authority in the U.S. Supreme Court when it gave a limited ruling that "affirmed" a non-existing wall of separation between church and State in public education. In doing so, the Supreme Court disregarded every precedent set by its members in the past 160 years. That became the moral watershed which began an ongoing spiritual and moral decline in the United States, still unchecked to this day.
At that time school books were being rewritten with the intent of removing references to God and reducing many of our national heroes to nothing more than two-faced opportunists who put on a good front while living personal lives of selfishness, violence, and immorality. This was the first step in the moral and spiritual decline of a nation. Many in the nation overlooked it as a single event with little if any significant consequences.
+ In 1952, President Harry Truman signed a joint resolution of Congress, creating the National Day of Prayer. He went on to say, "We can all pray. We all should pray. We should ask the fulfillment of God's will. We should ask for courage, wisdom, for the quietness of soul which comes alone to them who place their lives in His hands."
The Judiciary Committee Report read as follows: "Prayer has indeed been a vital force in the growth and development of this Nation. It would certainly be appropriate if . . . the People of this country were to unite in a day of prayer each year . . . reaffirming in a dramatic manner the deep religious conviction which has prevailed throughout the history of the United States."
Truman is also quoted as saying, "But I say to all men, what we have achieved in liberty, we will surpass in greater liberty. Steadfast in our faith in the Almighty, we will advance toward a world where man's freedom is secure."
Truman further stated, "We believe that all men are created equal because they are created in the image of God."
Again, Truman is quoted, "With God's help, the future of mankind will be assured in a world of justice, harmony, and peace."
+ Francis Bellamy wrote the original pledge of allegiance to the American flag in 1892. At the first National Flag Conference in Washington D.C. on June 14, 1923 it was modified from "my flag" to "the Flag of the United States". In 1942 the United States Congress officially recognized and affirmed the Pledge of Allegiance.
+ In June, 1954 Congress adopted an amendment to the United States Constitution in which was added "under God" immediately following "one nation" so as to read, "one nation under God". President Eisenhower said at that occasion, "In this way we are reaffirming the transcendence of religious faith in America's heritage and future; in this way we shall constantly strengthen those spiritual weapons which forever will be our country's most powerful resource in peace and war."
+ In 1955 the United States Congress passed a law stating that the 1864 phrase found on the two-cent coin, "In God We Trust" would become the national motto of the United States.
+ When the Little League was begun, it began reaching thousands of children. In 1955 the following pledge was adopted: The Little League Pledge . . . . "I trust in God. I love my country and will respect its laws. I will play fair and strive to win. But win or lose I will always do my best."
The Little League Pledge is yet another example of the foundation of faith that has under girded America. The pledge was established shortly after "under God" was added to the Pledge of Allegiance. The pledge has been recited by millions of children and adults around the world through their participation in Little League. It is also the only children's sports organization that is chartered by Congress.
+ President Dwight D. Eisenhower prayed, "Almighty God, as we stand here, at this moment, my future associates in the executive branch of the government join me in beseeching that Thou will make full and complete our dedication to the service of the people in this throng and their fellow citizens everywhere. Give us, we pray, the power to discern clearly right from wrong and allow all our works and actions to be governed thereby and by the laws of this land. Especially we pray that our concern shall be for all the people, regardless of station, race, or calling. May cooperation be permitted and be the mutual aim of those who, under the concept of our Constitution, hold to different political beliefs, so that all may work for the good of our beloved country and for Thy glory. Amen"
At another time Eisenhower said, "In the swift rush of great events, we find ourselves groping to know the full sense and meaning of these times in which we live. In our quest of understanding, we beseech God's guidance."
Again, Eisenhower is quoted, "Before all else, we seek, upon our common labor as a nation, the blessings of Almighty God."
+ President John F. Kennedy remarked, "Let us go forth to lead the land we love, asking His blessing and His help, but knowing that here on earth God's work must truly be our own."
+ The late senator and President Lyndon Banes Johnson commented, "The men who have guided the destiny of the United States have found the strength for their tasks by going to their knees."
While men like these were affirming our spiritual roots in many ways, continued sinister ways were developing within the judicial and educational arenas of the nation.
+ During the 1960's more steps were taken such as the removal in 1962 of prayer as a formal part of each school day. The banished prayer simply said, "Almighty God, we acknowledge our dependence on Thee. We beg Thy blessings upon us and our parents and our teachers and our country. Amen."
People such as Madelyn Murray O'Hare took full advantage of the opportunity to create questions and discord on a political level by creating social and religious issues over things that were at the very heart of our nation's origin and heritage.
+ The following year, 1963, the Supreme Court ruled that Bible reading was unconstitutional and therefore outlawed in the public school system. Their rationale: "If portions of the New Testament were read without explanation, they could and have been psychologically harmful to children."
In 1965 the Supreme Court ruled as unconstitutional the right of a public school student to pray audibly for his food in the cafeteria.
+ Melvin Laird, secretary of Defense from 1969 to 1973, when speaking at the dedication of the Pentagon Prayer Room (did you know they had one?) said, "Though we cling to the principle that church and state should be separate, we do not propose to separate man from God."
(Following the tragedy of September 11, 2001 when the Pentagon was struck by terrorism, a new prayer chapel is being constructed there as a part of the rebuilding and restoration from that attack. The chapel is being located near the point of impact, and will have a unique stained glass window that is a memorial to the victims of the attack. When visitors come, they will be greeted by a strong symbol of hope and a reminder of the importance of prayer.)
+ Lieutenant Oliver North said, "After all, the Constitution reserves for Congress the right to advise and consent. As I see it, the founding Fathers intended to follow the biblical precept that in the counsel of many there is wisdom."
+ In 1980, in Stone Vs. Graham, the Supreme Court, in outlawing the Ten Commandments from being displayed in public schools said, "If the posted copies of the Ten Commandments were to have any effect at all, it would be to induce school children to read them. And if they read them, meditated upon them, and perhaps venerated and obeyed them, this is not a permissible objective."
+ President Ronald Reagan said, "America was founded by people who believed that God was their rock of safety. I recognize we must be cautious in claiming that God is on our side, but I think it's all right to keep asking if we're on His side."
On another occasion, Reagan said, "Meaning no disrespect to the religious convictions of others, I still can't help wondering how we can explain away what to me is the greatest miracle of all and which is recorded in history. No one denies there was such a man, that he lived and that he was put to death by crucifixion. Where...is the miracle I spoke of? Well consider this and let your imagination translate the story into our own time -- possibly to your own home town.
"A young man whose father is a carpenter grows up working in his father's shop. One day he puts down his tools and walks out of his father's shop. He starts preaching on street corners and in the nearby countryside, walking from place to place, preaching all the while, even though he is not an ordained minister. He does this for three years. Then he is arrested, tried and convicted. There is no court of appeal, so he is executed at age 33 along with two common thieves.
"Those in charge of his execution roll dice to see who gets his clothing -- the only possessions he has. His family cannot afford a burial place for him so he is interred in a borrowed tomb. End of story? No, this uneducated, propertyless young man who ... left no written word has, for 2000 years, had a greater effect on the world than all the rulers, kings, emperors; all the conquerors, generals and admirals, all the scholars, scientists and philosophers who have ever lived -- all of them put together. How do we explain that? ...unless He really was what He said He was."
Again, Reagan declared, "While never willing to bow to a tyrant, our forefathers were always willing to get to their knees before God. When catastrophe threatened, they turned to God for deliverance. When the harvest was bountiful, the first thought was thanksgiving to God. Prayer is today as powerful a force in our nation as it has ever been. We as a nation should never forget this source of strength." -- Ronald Reagan
In 1988 President Reagan signed into law an order making the National Day of Prayer an official observance. On that occasion he said, "On our National Day of Prayer, then, we join together as people of many faiths to petition God to show us His mercy and His love, to heal our weariness and uphold our hope, that we might live ever mindful of His justice and thankful for His blessing." -- Ronald Reagan
Again President Reagan: "I believe with all my heart that standing up for America means standing up for the God who has so blessed our land. We need God's help to guide our nation through stormy seas. But we can't expect Him to protect America in a crisis if we just leave Him over on the shelf in our day-to-day living."
+ President George Herbert Walker Bush prayed on his 1989 inauguration day, "Heavenly father, we bow our heads and thank You for Your love. Accept our thanks for the peace that yields this day and the shared faith that makes its continuance likely. Make us strong to do Your work, willing to heed and hear Your will, and write on our hearts these words: 'Use power to help people.' For we are given power not to advance our own purposes, nor to make a great show in the world, nor a name. There is but one just use of power and it is to serve people. Help us to remember it, Lord. Amen." -- George Herbert Walker Bush, Inaugural Address, January 1989
+ In May, 2001, President George W. Bush said in his 2001 National Day Of Prayer Proclamation, "Turning to prayer in times of joy and celebration, strife and tragedy is an integral part of our national heritage. When the first settlers landed on the rocky shores of the New World, they celebrated with prayer, and the practice has continued through our history. In 1775, the Continental Congress asked the citizens of the colonies to pray for wisdom in forming a Nation. General George Washington, encamped at Valley Forge, also sought God's guidance as Americans fought for their independence. The faith of our Founding Fathers established the precedent that prayers and national days of prayer are an honored part of our American way of life."
+ President Bush: "Our country was founded by great and wise people who were fluent in the language of humility, praise and petition. Throughout our history, in danger and division, we have always turned to prayer. And our country has been delivered from many serious evils and wrongs because of that prayer. We cannot presume to know every design of our Creator, or to assert a special claim on His favor. Yet, it is important to pause and recognize our help in ages past and our hope for years to come.
"The first President to live in the White House arrived with a prayer. In a letter to his wife, written on his second night here, John Adams offered a prayer that Heaven might bless this house and all those who would call it home. One of his successors, Franklin D. Roosevelt, thought enough of that prayer to have it inscribed on a mantelpiece in the State Dining Room, where you can still find it today."
MY POINT BEING?
To be sure, not everyone quoted in these last two letters had a personal relationship with Jesus Christ; it's one thing to know Him, it's another to just be religious minded. However, the record is clear and the facts are without dispute that . . .
1. First, the very existence of this nation came as a result of God's purpose, and His revelation thereof, that there be a place of freedom "Of" religion (and not "From" religion), and a place from which the Gospel could and would be proclaimed to the world.
2. Second, the founding fathers of our nation understood that, and recognized there the Gospel of Jesus Christ is absolutely the only sure foundation for a nation to survive and prosper. They established this nation with that in mind.
3. Finally, we have fallen victim of the same self-centered, self-serving, mentality that all other nations before us have fallen. The graveyard of history is filled with the bones of nations that "once were", and that "could have been" great in the hands of God.
And . . . . it still is not too late for us to recover the grace and mercy of God. Repentance is always accepted by our merciful Father, and the result of repentance is always favor and blessing.
So, then . . . . what is my point in all of this?
Actually, I have several:
1. "Get over it!" For all who are trying to strip the United States of her God-ordained calling and her Judeo-Christian roots and foundation, get over it! You're not looking at the truth. You're not accepting the facts. You're inserting personal selfish prejudices and agendas.
2. "Get serious!" For all who do indeed believe that this nation came into being by divine calling and for divine purposes, get serious about your Christian commitment and get serious about your moral responsibilities as an American citizen. Each year we lose more ground. But, it's not because the secularists have more convincing proofs, but rather because Christian citizens aren't taking this calling and this purpose seriously.
3. "Get with it!" It was so aptly said that evil prevails Not when bad men do bad things, but when good men do nothing. Noted conference speaker Joyce Meyer said at an October, 2002 conference, "If God is in fact separated from the government, then we can never possibly have a godly government. There's no way for America to be good if she's not godly."
Israel is a classic lesson in the cycles of national life ---- God brings it into being and blesses it, the nation worships and obeys Him, the blessings grow, the nation becomes content and complacent, God warns, the nation begins to revel in prosperity, God warns further, the nation turns away from God, He rebukes and judges, the nation ignores, He sends crisis, the now proud nation resists, He sends greater crisis, . . . . and the nation faces its future with two glaring possibilities ---- repentance or ruin.
History shows this pattern in many instances, but I believe it is most visible today in the United States. It is time to get over this notion that America has no religious roots and is the result of secularistic humanistic ingenuities of man. It's time to get serious about repenting, restoring, and rebuilding. And, it's time to get with it as the Church. This idea of separating religion from politics is insane. It cannot be done. And it should not be done. How can we as believers, called by Jesus to be salt and light wherever we are, be involved in any process without being that seasoning influence? To demand such segmentation is as absurd as demanding that I come to your house for dinner as a husband and father, but not to come as a son or a preacher. I'm who I am wherever I may be.
I hope you've been challenged and encouraged with the quotes of so many great Americans. And I pray that you will challenge those who have been placed in your charge to join you in proclaiming the Gospel and influencing society. It won't be the first time it has happened in U.S. History; we've had at least three moves of God that affected us as a nation and resulted in enormous social, moral, political, and spiritual changes.
If we are to have a future, it must happen again. Righteousness does indeed exalt a nation, and sin is indeed an abomination against any people. God does honor obedience with blessing.
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Bob Tolliver -- Psalm 2:8
Copyright June, 2003
Life Unlimited Ministries
lifeunlimited@...
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MAY I RECOMMEND . . . .
If you have a heart for God and would like to be encouraged in your life and ministry,
and you have a burden for your church, your community, and the world,
then you may want to receive . . .
A world-wide network for praying together
www.worldprayerteam.org
To adopt and pray for a special historic city in Iraq, go to
www.operationiraqcare.org
"National Pastors' Prayer Network" newsletter at
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Register your PPG: http://www.nppn.org/ppg/
U. S. World Prayer Center at
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City Reaching/City Impact Roundtable
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Bob Hall's "Friday Fax" from New Zealand
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"Life Action Outreach" at
www.LifeAction.org
"Bulletin On Revival" by Francois Carr in South Africa at
www.revivalcsa.co.za
"Youth Interceding For America" at
www.yifa.org
"Mission America" at
www.missionamerica.org.
"The Lighthouse Movement" at
www.lighthousemovement.com
"We will not Work where we have not prayed." (Todd Golden