Author: John Page 124 of 172

I Corinthians 11:1 “Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ.”

Peter Marshall, Chaplain of the United States Senate, prayed the following in 1948:

“Help us, our Father, to show other nations an America to imitate… the America that loves fair play, honest dealing, straight talk, real freedom and faith in God.”

General Washington ordered his men to live in a way that was worthy of their unit, their army, and their cause (see previous post). He required them to personify a dream worth following. If they were to be followed, then they must BE something worth following. Similarly, if our nation today is to exemplify a cause worth following, then we must BE something worth following.

America has never been a perfect nation. Yet, she was once a nation worth following; as she followed Christ, others followed her. Even today, our residual Christian foundation promotes a leadership that prompts others to follow. Yet, as we fail to follow Christ our attractiveness quickly diminishes. As our characteristics deviate from fair play, honest dealing, straight talk, real freedom, and faith in God, then our walk is less worthy to follow.

PLEASE PRAY THAT OUR NATION WOULD ONCE AGAIN BE WORTH IMITATING. Our words and our deeds once screamed …. Follow us! Indeed, we were once worth following. If we return to Christ, then we can be once again.

Please see the previous posts for similar thoughts:
https://prayatlunch.us/a-shining-city-upon-a-hill/
https://prayatlunch.us/never-know/

Colossians 1:10 “That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God.”

On June 15^th, 1775, General George Washington was appointed Commander in Chief of the Continental Army, taking command two and a half weeks later. On July 4^th, 1775, exactly a year before the Second Continental Congress proclaimed colonial independence and more than two months after the first shots of the Revolutionary War, General Washington published the first orders to his new command. They included the following admonition:

“The General most earnestly requires, and expects, a due observance of those articles of war, established for the Government of the army, which forbid profane cursing, swearing and drunkeness; And in like manner requires and expects, of all Officers, and Soldiers, not engaged on actual duty, a punctual attendance on divine Service, to implore the blessings of heaven upon the means used for our safety and defence.”

Washington’s General Orders contained the short but critical components of proper behavior and right living. Elsewhere in the Orders, General Washington required officers to properly care for their men. He forbade his men from cursing, swearing, and drunkeness. And yes, General Washington ordered his men to attend church, worship and pray.

The officers and soldiers of the Continental Army were to be worthy examples. Their behavior reflected their unit, their army, and their cause. They were to be clean and humble. They were to be upright and bold. They were to be faithful and prayerful. So must we!

PLEASE PRAY THAT OUR WALK WOULD BE WORTHY OF OUR CAUSE. Washington’s General Orders were a reflection of God’s Word. Our orders are exactly the same.

Psalm 33:22 “Let thy mercy, O LORD, be upon us, according as we hope in thee.”

During his July 3^rd, 1947 prayer (see the previous post), Peter Marshall concluded with the following:

“Let us, as a nation, be not afraid of standing alone for the rights of men, since we were born that way, as the only nation on earth that came into being ‘for the glory of God and the advancement of the Christian faith.’ We know that we shall be true to the Pilgrim dream when we are true to the God they worshiped. To the extent that America honors Thee, wilt Thou bless America, and keep her true as Thou hast kept her free, and make her good as Thou hast made her rich. Amen.”

The only way that we can be true to the Pilgrim dream is to be true to the Pilgrim’s God. If we are to follow in their footsteps, then we are to follow in their purpose – bringing glory to God and advancing the Christian faith. Otherwise, we have no hope in continuing on in a legacy unmatched in human history.

We are as blessed as we are humbly faithful, yet our lack of the latter puts the former at risk. We are as free as we are true, yet our lack of the latter puts the former at risk. We are as rich as we are good, yet our lack of the latter puts the former at risk.

PLEASE PRAY FOR A NATIONWIDE RETURN TO THE PILGRIM’S PURPOSE. We are a nation at risk, because we have diverged from the Pilgrim’s dream. We are no longer true to the vision that paved the way for our great nation.

James 1:22 “But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.”

Peter Marshall, chaplain of the United States Senate shortly after World War II, prayed the following on July 3^rd, 1947 (continued in the next post):

“God of our Fathers, whose Almighty hand hath made and preserved our Nation, grant that our people may understand what it is they celebrate tomorrow. May they remember how bitterly our freedom was won, the down payment that was made for it, the installments that have been made since this Republic was born, and the price that must be paid for our liberty. May freedom be seen not as the right to do as we please but as the opportunity to please to do what is right. May it be ever understood that our liberty is under God and can be found nowhere else. May our faith be something that is not merely stamped upon our coins, but expressed in our lives.”

Saying that we are a Christian nation is an expression of our historical relevance. Being a Christian nation would make us distinctly attractive today. Saying that we are a Christian nation is a gesture of previous faithfulness. Being a Christian nation would provide enduring meaning to the sacrifices of our forefathers. Saying that we are a Christian nation is an acknowledgment of our past. Being a Christian nation would provide a solid foundation for our future. Saying that we are a Christian nation deceives us into an attitude of complacency and inaction. Being a Christian nation would put our faith into practice through our politics and our policies.

PLEASE PRAY THAT WE WOULD ACTUALLY BE A CHRISTIAN NATION AND NOT JUST SAY THAT WE ARE A CHRISTIAN NATION. Saying that we are the former without being the latter causes us to deceive our own selves. Being a Christian nation would change us from our current path as it would be expressed in our lives.

Matthew 27:24 “When Pilate saw that he could prevail nothing, but that rather a tumult was made, he took water, and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, I am innocent of the blood of this just person: see ye to it.”

Based on the demands of the people, Pilate pardoned Barabbas instead of Jesus. He then washed his hands and declared his own innocence, though the only innocent one was given a death sentence. Pilate willingly abdicated his responsibility, neglecting to use his power to release Christ. His conscience was soothed by his half-hearted attempt to save the Saviour, but make no mistake, Pilate was guilty of Jesus’ death. It happened on his watch.

As America diverges from the principles of Christ, Christians are washing our hands and declaring our own innocence. We are satisfied that our nation’s death sentence has been declared by others, while willingly abdicating our responsibility to do something about it. Our consciences are soothed by our half-hearted attempts to save our nation, but make no mistake, we are guilty of what happens to America. It is happening on our watch.

PLEASE PRAY FOR A RENEWED SENSE OF RESPONSIBILITY AMONG CHRISTIAN AMERICANS. We can’t sit back and wash our hands. Instead, we must engage with all our strength and the power of God through prayer. We can’t be satisfied with cleansing our hands and then throwing them up into the air. Doing so doesn’t make us innocent. It actually insures our guilt.