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Psalm 86:6-7 “Give ear, O LORD, unto my prayer; and attend to the voice of my supplications. In the day of my trouble I will call upon thee: for thou wilt answer me.”

Following the drafting of a prayer card for fair weather, Chaplain O’Neill discussed the power of prayer with General Patton. Patton stated:

“Chaplain, I am a strong believer in Prayer. There are three ways that men get what they want: by planning, by working, and by Praying. Any great military operation takes careful planning, or thinking. Then you must have well-trained troops to carry it out: that’s working. But between the plan and the operation there is always an unknown. That unknown spells defeat or victory, success or failure. It is the reaction of the actors to the ordeal when it actually comes. Some people call that getting the breaks; I call it God. God has His part, or margin in everything. That’s where prayer comes in. Up to now, in the Third Army, God has been very good to us.  We have never retreated; we have suffered no defeats, no famine, no epidemics. This is because a lot of people back home are praying for us. We were lucky in Africa, in Sicily, and in Italy – simply because people prayed. But we have to pray for ourselves, too. A good soldier is not made merely by making him think and work. There is something in every soldier that goes deeper than thinking or working–it’s his “guts.” It is something that he has built in there: it is a world of truth and power that is higher than himself. Great living is not all output of thought and work. A man has to have intake as well. I don’t know what you call it, but I call it Religion, Prayer, or God.”

Patton went on to say:

“I wish you would put out a Training Letter on this subject of Prayer to all the chaplains; write about nothing else, just the importance of prayer. Let me see it before you send it. We’ve got to get not only the chaplains but every man in the Third Army to pray. We must ask God to stop these rains. These rains are that margin that hold defeat or victory. If we all pray, it will be like what Dr. Carrel said, it will be like plugging in on a current whose source is in Heaven. I believe that prayer completes that circuit. It is power.”

We need to complete the circuit. We need God’s power! There is only so much we can achieve by planning and working. The margin between defeat and victory is in God’s hands.

Every man must pray! PLEASE PRAY FOR THE RAINS TO STOP IN AMERICA AND VICTORY FOR CHRIST TO EMERGE. Prayer plugs us in to heavenly current. We should write about nothing else.

Judges 6:12 “And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him, and said unto him, The LORD is with thee, thou mighty man of valour.”

In December 1944, Allied success on the Western Front was far from assured. Though the Germans had been pushed back, they enjoyed a reduced front and shorter supply lines. Hitler saw an opportunity for a counterattack, though it necessitated bad weather to reduce the Allied airpower advantages.

As the Germans were planning their counterattack, General Patton’s advance was hindered by bad weather. On December 8^th, 1944, Patton called Chaplain James O’Neill and tasked him with writing a prayer for good weather. General Patton approved of the Chaplain’s prayer and ordered 250,000 copies of the following to be distributed to every man:

“Almighty and most merciful Father, we humbly beseech Thee, of Thy great goodness, to restrain these immoderate rains with which we have had to contend. Grant us fair weather for Battle. Graciously hearken to us as soldiers who call upon Thee that, armed with Thy power, we may advance from victory to victory, and crush the oppression and wickedness of our enemies and establish Thy justice among men and nations.”

Figuratively, 21^st century America does not have fair weather for the cause of Christ and the maintenance of our Christian heritage. We have had to contend with immoderate rains and hostile conditions. If we are to crush oppression and wickedness, establish God’s justice, and advance from victory to victory then we must follow the pattern of the Third Army – humbly beseech God to grant us favor.

PLEASE PRAY FOR FAIR WEATHER FOR CHRISTIANS IN AMERICA. It is only God’s power that can change the prevailing forecast.

SET YOUR ALARM: If you’re alarmed (that the press mocks the power of prayer while Christians neglect its power), set your alarm (to pray for our nation)!

Ephesians 5:14-16 “Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light. See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.”

Two conditions were necessary for Admiral Yamamoto’s thoughts following his attack on Pearl Harbor to be proved true (see previous post). The awakening of a sleeping giant was not enough; that awakened giant needed to be filled with “terrible resolve.”

We must not be simply awakened by the continued attacks on us, our faith, and our God. Instead, we must be resolved to do something about it. Success in an off-cycle election is small stakes. The real test of our resolve will come through a Biblical steadfastness in our prayer lives, our testimonies, and our votes. We must redeem the time we have been given, or the window of opportunity to turn this nation back to God may irreversibly close. One small success will not reverse the tide of secularism in America. Now that we are awake we must stay active or our influence will atrophy once again.

PLEASE PRAY FOR AN AWAKENED CHRISTIAN POPULACE TO FOLLOW UP ON SUCCESS WITH CONTINUED RESOLVE. It has taken a continued crisis to awaken us. May terrible resolve prompt us to never slumber again!

Hebrews 13:8 “Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, and to day and for ever.”

As the Commander-in-Chief of the Japanese Combined Fleet, Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto was the architect of the tactically successful attack on Pearl Harbor. Following the attack, it is said that Yamamoto lamented: “I fear all we have done is awaken a sleeping giant and fill him with a terrible resolve.” Indeed, this dizzying tactical success turned into a dramatic strategic failure as the awakened sleeping giant fought back with resolve.

The Christian electorate finally seems to be awakening after the attacks we have endured during the last several years. If last month’s election results in Ohio, Houston, Kentucky, and elsewhere are any indication, Christians are finally engaged with resolve in the political process. Molly Ball, staff writer at The Atlantic described the results as “a backlash from mainstream voters.” (http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2015/11/liberals-are-losing-the-culture-war/414175/)

Maybe we were finally prodded off the sidelines. Maybe we finally realized that it is our responsibility to pray for elections and vote according to Biblical values. Maybe we were tired of hearing that we were ‘on the wrong side of history’ or ‘out of step with the times.’ Maybe we recognized that our rights could be the next ones trampled upon. Maybe we awoke to the truth that our Lord does not ‘evolve’ in His beliefs.

Regardless of the reason, this off-cycle election is a small indication that we can turn our recent tactical losses into the motivation for strategic triumph. May we not just accept this single victory, but instead see it as a sign of our power if we fully awaken and stand with an unchanging Christ.

PLEASE PRAY THAT CHRISTIANS WOULD FULLY AWAKEN TO OUR CITIZENSHIP RESPONSIBLITIES. May we sleep no longer!

SET YOUR ALARM: If you’re alarmed (that political correctness hinders our ability to solve major national problems), set your alarm (to pray for our nation)!

Ephesians 5:20 “Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ”

The 1777 Thanksgiving Proclamation by the Continental Congress was bursting with thankfulness, praise, and gratitude (see the previous post). The colonists recognized that it was their indispensible duty to uplift the Lord’s name in this way. Yet, in historical context it was not a time that thankfulness, praise, and gratitude came naturally.

Though the Continental Army had recently won the Battle of Saratoga, they were years from victory. In fact, the British had just captured Philadelphia and the poorly fed and equipped revolutionaries were about ready to settle down at Valley Forge for a harsh winter a short distance from the British ranks. The Americans had no major allies and were struggling to maintain themselves as a viable fighting force. Yet, they took time to give solemn thanksgiving and praise.

Our circumstances should not dictate our attitude towards God. Regardless of whether the enemies of God in this nation are closing in on all sides, we should have a spirit that gives solemn thanksgiving and praise.

REGARDLESS OF OUR CIRCUMSTANCES, WE MUST MAINTAIN AN ATTITUDE OF THANKSFULNESS AND PRAISE. It is the only way that, under Christ’s nurturing hand, we can cultivate the principles of true liberty, virtue and piety.