PLUS

Matthew 17:19-21 “Then came the disciples to Jesus apart, and said, Why could not we cast him out?  And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief:  for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.  Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.”

During the cold winter of 1777-78, General Washington and the Revolutionary Army sheltered at Valley Forge.  It is said that a British sympathizer came across Washington in prayer and marveled at his fervency and faithfulness.  This eyewitness went on to proclaim “our cause is lost” to his fellow loyalists.  In his humble opinion, the British could not prevail against an army led by a man that could so passionately get ahold of God through prayer.

We must harness the same power that Washington used to bring about his great victory to bring about a great victory in our land in 2017 – a life of fervent and faithful prayer that gets ahold of God.  May those enemies of God who are witnesses to our prayer life proclaim to their allies: “our cause is lost.”

PLEASE PRAY FOR AMERICA WITH PASSION AND POWER.  May we harness the decisive weapon that can bring about our victory and make our adversaries be chasing a lost cause.

Micah 6:8 “He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?”

As the Revolutionary War was coming to a close, General Washington wrote a “Circular Letter to the States” to remind them of the importance of the next few years during their “political probation.”  The world would watch as the newly formed nation demonstrated the principles for which they had fought.

As the closing part of this letter, Washington charged the Governors with the following:

“I now make it my earnest prayer, that God would have you and the State over which you preside, in His holy protection, that he would incline the hearts of the Citizens to cultivate a spirit of subordination and obedience to Government, to entertain a brotherly affection and love for one another, for their fellow Citizens of the United States at large, and particularly for their brethren who have served in the Field, and finally, that He would most graciously be pleased to dispose us all, to do Justice, to love mercy, and to demean ourselves with that Charity, humility and pacific temper of mind, which were the Characteristics of the Divine Author of our blessed Religion, and without an humble imitation of whose example in these things, we can never hope to be a happy Nation.”

Washington admonished the citizens of this new nation to be like Christ!  If we would fail to do so, we could never hope to be a happy Nation.

PLEASE PRAY THAT CHRISTIANS IN THIS LAND WOULD TRULY BE CHRISTLIKE.  Let us do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with God.

Judges 10:11 “And the LORD said unto the children of Israel, Did not I deliver you from the Egyptians, and from the Amorites, from the children of Ammon, and from the Philistines.”

Following President’s Day, it is appropriate to do a series on quotes from President Washington and President Lincoln.  I will do so for the next eight weeks, while providing a poignant reminder of the faith of our forefathers.

Some detractors claim that Washington’s faith was in a generic god and not the God of the Bible.  Their claims about Washington’s use of terms like “Deity” and “Providence” weigh on our minds as we read about his continuous calls to God.  We wonder if his different terminology indicates the lack of a specific faith.  The following quote, and others in the next few weeks, should erase such doubts:

“May the same wonder-working Deity, who long since delivering the Hebrews from their Egyptian Oppressors planted them in the promised land – whose Providential Agency has lately been conspicuous in establishing these United States as an independent Nation – still continue to water them with the dews of Heaven and to make the inhabitants of every denomination participate in the temporal and spiritual blessings of that people whose God is Jehovah.”

Make no mistake, when Washington talks about Providence he is talking about Jehovah God!  He is talking about the Deity who delivered the Hebrews from the Egyptians.  He calls out to the LORD, and not to a generic supernatural power.

PLEASE CALL OUT TO JEHOVAH GOD TO DELIVER OUR NATION FROM OUR ERRANT PATH.  Washington knew that it was God who was conspicuous in establishing our nation.  That same God can deliver us again!

Deuteronomy 32:4 “He is the Rock, his work is perfect: for all his ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he.”

On his way to his first inauguration, Abraham Lincoln stopped at Independence Hall in Philadelphia and gave the following address on February 22, 1861:

“I am filled with deep emotion at finding myself standing here, in this place, where were collected together the wisdom, the patriotism, the devotion to principle, from which sprang the institutions under which we live. You have kindly suggested to me that in my hands is the task of restoring peace to the present distracted condition of the country. I can say in return, Sir, that all the political sentiments I entertain have been drawn, so far as I have been able to draw them, from the sentiments which originated and were given to the world from this hall. I have never had a feeling politically that did not spring from the sentiments embodied in the Declaration of Independence. I have often pondered over the dangers which were incurred by the men who assembled here, and framed and adopted that Declaration of Independence. I have pondered over the toils that were endured by the officers and soldiers of the army who achieved that Independence. I have often inquired of myself, what great principle or idea it was that kept this Confederacy so long together. It was not the mere matter of the separation of the Colonies from the motherland; but that sentiment in the Declaration of Independence which gave liberty, not alone to the people of this country, but, I hope, to the world, for all future time. It was that which gave promise that in due time the weight would be lifted from the shoulders of all men. This is a sentiment embodied in the Declaration of Independence. Now, my friends, can this country be saved upon that basis? If it can, I will consider myself one of the happiest men in the world, if I can help to save it. If it cannot be saved upon that principle, it will be truly awful. But if this country cannot be saved without giving up that principle, I was about to say I would rather be assassinated on this spot than surrender it.  Now, in my view of the present aspect of affairs, there need be no bloodshed and war. There is no necessity for it. I am not in favor of such a course, and I may say, in advance, that there will be no bloodshed unless it be forced upon the Government, and then it will be compelled to act in self-defense.  My friends, this is wholly an unexpected speech, and I did not expect to be called upon to say a word when I came here. I supposed it was merely to do something toward raising the flag. I may, therefore, have said something indiscreet. (Cries of “No, no”) I have said nothing but what I am willing to live by and, if it be the pleasure of Almighty God, die by.”

Taken by itself, this seems like a simple political speech that pays homage to a man-made document.  Yet, in reality it is a humble acknowledgment of our nation’s reliance on Almighty God:

• Lincoln understood that the Declaration of Independence was formed upon God’s precepts. In describing our founders and their creation of our founding document in a different speech, Lincoln said “this was their lofty, and wise, and noble understanding of the justice of the Creator to His creatures.”
• Lincoln clung to God’s provision and power in his life, such that he knew that strength came from Him alone. A few weeks before the Philadelphia speech, Lincoln acknowledged: “Without the assistance of the Divine Being who ever attended him, I cannot succeed. With that assistance I cannot fail.”  He felt the same about our nation’s founders.

PLEASE PRAY THAT WE WOULD RETURN TO A NOBLE UNDERSTANDING OF THE CREATOR’S JUSTICE.  He is the rock upon which we were founded and upon which we must return.

Please see the following for Lincoln’s Hometown Farewell Address:
https://prayatlunch.us/bringing-forth-much-fruit/

Please see the following for a reminder of God’s hand in the formation of our founding document:
https://prayatlunch.us/firm-reliance/
https://prayatlunch.us/self-evident/
https://prayatlunch.us/casting-all-your-care/
https://prayatlunch.us/inalienable/
https://prayatlunch.us/rectitude-of-our-intentions/
https://prayatlunch.us/governments-instituted/
https://prayatlunch.us/rooted-and-built-up-in-him/
https://prayatlunch.us/saviour-sufficiency/

Deuteronomy 33:29 “Happy art thou, O Israel:  who is like unto thee, O people saved by the LORD, the shield of thy help, and who is the sword of thy excellency!  And thine enemies shall be found liars unto thee; and thou shalt tread upon their high places.”

Psalm 5:12 “For thou, LORD, wilt bless the righteous; with favour wilt thou compass him as with a shield.”

Psalm 115:9 “O Israel, trust thou in the LORD:  he is their help and their shield.”

In 1980, Colonel (retired) Jerry Bullock, the Deputy Commander of the Air Force Office of the Security Police, wrote the following Security Forces Prayer:

“Lord, you have called us to be guardians of a nation founded on your principles.
Whatever our tasks as Security Force men and women, we do them to serve you and our nation.
We are proud to accept the responsibility of this high calling.
We dedicated ourselves to our vocation, and ask for guidance and courage in aiding our people to live with dignity, in safety and peace.
We know true security comes from your presence, so we pray with the psalmist:
You bless those who obey you, Lord; your love protects them like a shield.
Use us, O Lord, as shields for your people, reflecting your security and peace.”

What a wonderful Bible-based prayer written by the Air Force’s #2 cop!  We are indeed founded on His principles.  We are to perform our tasks to serve Him.  We are to ask for His guidance and courage in living out our calling.  True security comes from Him alone.

With those who protect us calling on the Lord in this way, I feel doubly secure.  In much the same way as President Washington called out – “So help me God” – such a prayer yields to a humble reliance on the One who compasses us about with His shield.

PLEASE PRAY FOR WISDOM AND SAFETY FOR OUR PUBLIC SAFETY OFFICERS.  As they accept the responsibility of their high calling, we must call out to the One whose presence provides true security.