OPINION:
Our family made a stop at George Washington’s Mount Vernon as part of a historical journey after my recall election and before our oldest headed off to college. We had the distinct honor of laying a wreath on the tomb of the first president of the United States of America.
As we observed the National Day of Prayer this week, I thought about the prayer we read aloud. It was adapted from Gen. George Washington’s Circular Letter to the States, which he wrote near the end of the War of Independence on June 8, 1783.
His reference to the governors and states of the new nation is replaced with the words, “the United States” in the prayer:
“I now make it my earnest prayer, that God would have the United States 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 Devine 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. Amen.”
From his prayer journal, we read, in part, this prayer: “But daily frame me more and more into the likeness of thy son Jesus Christ, that living in thy fear, and dying in thy favor, I may in thy appointed time attain the resurrection of the just unto eternal life. Bless my family, friends & kindred unite us all in praising & glorifying thee in all our works begun, continued, and ended, when we shall come to make our last account before thee blessed Saviour, who hath taught us thus to pray, our Father.”
Washington had plenty to say about prayer and God’s providence. He said, “Make sure you are doing what God wants you to do — then do it with all your strength.”
Thomas Jefferson, the author of the Declaration of Independence and the third president of the United States, offered this prayer for the nation:
“Almighty God, Who has given us this good land for our heritage; We humbly beseech Thee that we may always prove ourselves a people mindful of Thy favor and glad to do Thy will. Bless our land with honorable ministry, sound learning, and pure manners. Save us from violence, discord, and confusion, from pride and arrogance, and from every evil way. Defend our liberties, and fashion into one united people, the multitude brought hither out of many kindreds and tongues. Endow with Thy spirit of wisdom those whom in Thy name we entrust the authority of government, that there may be justice and peace at home, and that through obedience to Thy law, we may show forth Thy praise among the nations of the earth. In time of prosperity fill our hearts with thankfulness, and in the day of trouble, suffer not our trust in Thee to fail; all of which we ask through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.”
John Adams, our second president, offered these words to God: “I pray heaven to bestow the best of blessings on this house and all that shall hereafter inhabit it. May none but the wise men ever rule under this roof.”
Abraham Lincoln, who first issued a proclamation for a National Day of Fasting and Prayer, said 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.”
Lincoln humbly reminded us all about the importance of prayer when he said these words: “I have been driven many times upon my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I had nowhere else to go.”
Few people have heard the prelude to one of our more cherished songs, “God Bless America.” Originally written during World War I and revised as the storm clouds gathered again, the introduction reads:
“While the storm clouds gather far across the sea/Let us swear allegiance to a land that’s free/Let us all be grateful for a land so fair/As we raise our voices in a solemn prayer.”
“God Bless America” is more than a line from a song. It is a prayer to the Almighty God. As we celebrate the 250th anniversary of our republic, let us remember that our founding document declares that our rights come from God, not the government.
Let us all pray that we never forget whence come our freedoms, nor fail to defend them.
• Scott Walker is a columnist for The Washington Times. He was the 45th governor of Wisconsin and launched a bid for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination. He lives in Milwaukee and is the proud owner of a 2003 Harley-Davidson Road King. He can be reached at swalker@washingtontimes.com.
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