4 July 2016
Chuck Roots
Blessing America
A few months ago I was approached by
a friend who asked me to write a series of articles for the Manteca Bulletin about
the formation and history of the United States of America. The purpose for the
request was to highlight the seminal moments and grave decisions that were
critical in the establishment of our nation.
It has been solemnly stated, and rightly so,
that if we forget our history then we are doomed to repeat it. However, in the
case of the United States the opportunity to repeat the mistakes may be our
undoing. Here’s what I’m referring to.
Our nation came through the crucible
of discord, rancor and war before anything remotely close to normalcy settled
across our land.
There is good reason for the phrase,
“God Bless America.” The pilgrims who first set foot on the shores of Virginia
and Massachusetts struggled mightily in dealing with the obstacles and adversities
they faced. There were innumerable instances where nothing except the hand of
God was responsible for the outcome as these colonialists were learning to
breathe the air of freedom.
A cursory study of the life of our
First President, George Washington, should put you in a state of awe, realizing
just how much he and our forefathers at that time had to endure for this nation
to be free from the tyranny of the British monarchy. During the French and
Indian War, Washington proved to be a valiant and courageous leader. In the
battle of Monongahela in 1755, for instance, Washington was atop his horse
leading his men against a fierce Indian force. The chief of the Indians
instructed his warriors to aim their muskets at Washington. During the battle,
Washington had two horses shot out from under him and four bullet holes were
discovered in his cloak. Later, in meeting the Indian chief, Washington was
told that the reason the Indians eventually surrendered was the belief that the
Indians had determined that Washington was a mighty leader who was being
protected even against bullets.
So then, was George Washington
blessed by God? I firmly believe he was, and not just because of the one
instance mentioned above, but because a list of similar miracles that surrounded
his life and the lives of so very many of the other Founding Fathers.
Almost without exception, a key
element in the lives of the framers of our nation was a strong belief in God.
This was not some tip-of-the-hat acknowledgement of the Creator, nor did they
think of themselves as good people because they attended church regularly. No,
these were men who took their faith in God seriously. The evidence of this is
all over our most important documents: The Mayflower Compact, the Articles of
Confederation, the Constitution of the United States, the Bill of Rights, to
name just the primary ones.
What was the one key factor for
America surviving and then thriving? In my humble opinion it was prayer. George
Washington was a man of prayer, taking time each morning to search the
Scriptures in prayer. And no less a worthy than Benjamin Franklin was given to
prayer, conveying its importance at the Continental Congress during that
delicate time when none of the states’ delegates could seem to agree on the
form of government the United States should have. Read what 81-year-old Ben
Franklin said to the assembled delegates.
“In the beginning of the contest with Britain, when we were sensible of
danger, we had daily prayers in this room for divine protection. Our prayers,
sir, were heard; and they were graciously answered. All of us who were engaged
in the struggle must have observed frequent instances of a superintending
Providence in our favor. To that kind Providence we owe this happy opportunity
of consulting in peace on the means of establishing our future national
felicity. And have we now forgotten that powerful Friend? Or do we imagine that
we no longer need His assistance?
“I have lived, sir, a long time; and
the longer I live the more convincing proofs I see in this truth – that God
governs the affairs of men. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without
his notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without his aid? We have
been assured, sir, in the sacred writing, that ‘except the Lord build the house
they labor in vain that build it.’ I firmly believe this; and I also believe
that without His concurring aid we shall succeed in this political building no
better than the builders of Babel; we shall be divided by our little partial,
local interests, our projects will be confounded and we ourselves shall become
a reproach and a byword down to future ages. And, what is worse, mankind may
hereafter, from this unfortunate instance, despair of establishing government
by human wisdom and leave it to chance, war, or conquest.
“I, therefore, beg leave to move:
“That hereafter prayers, imploring the
assistance of Heaven and its blessings on our deliberations, be held in this
assembly every morning before we proceed to business, and that one or more of
the clergy of this city be requested to officiate in that service.”
Washington, Franklin and a host of
others were (and still are) a blessing to America for one simple reason: They
trusted in God. And they lived their lives so as to be a blessing to our nation
and to the world.
You and I will no doubt never have
our names remembered the way these men did. But you can be just as great a
blessing to your nation and the world by being a person of prayer.
So instead of imploring God to bless
America, you be that blessing because it is through you and your faith in God
that God will gladly bless America today and into the future.
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