February 25th, 2024

​How blessed we are to have founding Fathers whose prayers helped establish America. Since our President’s Day celebration just passed, I thought it would be fitting to honor our first president, George Washington. Breaking Christian News did so by quoting from Eddie Hyatt's book, 1726:  The Year that Defined America. Hyatt is an historian, Bible teacher, and revivalist who has tracked America's leaders and recorded their sayings as they pertain to God and the Bible. He floats the theory that the only reason the American troops were able to defeat the British was because of prayer. Washington was given a seemingly impossible task to challenge the British militia with his band of rag-tag soldiers. In his book, Hyatt says "Washington knew his only hope lay in a profound conviction in the hearts and daily actions of all his men that what they did, they did for God, and under God's protection." (Hyatt, pg. 114)
 
The American soldiers were united around the altar of prayer daily. In fact, Washington issued an order stating that each day would begin with prayer led by the officers. Again, I quote Hyatt:  "Every soldier was to observe a punctual attendance of Divine services, to implore the blessing of Heaven upon the means for our safety and public defense." Apparently, Washington was insistent that every soldier attend daily prayer but also, they were forbidden the following:  profanity, swearing, gambling, and drunkenness. His rational for this is written about by Hyatt:  "We can have little hope of the blessing of Heaven on our arms if we insult Him by our impiety and folly. Every officer and man will endeavor so as to live and act as becomes a Christian soldier." 
 
When Washington and his men had their long, cold, tiring winter at Valley Forge, they were visited by Rev. Henry Muhlenberg, the pastor of a nearby Lutheran Church. Muhlenberg noted that Washington "admonished" his men "to fear God." He goes on:  "This gentleman does not belong to the so-called world of society, for he respects God's Word, believes in the atonement through Christ, and bears himself in humility and gentleness. It appears that the Lord God has singularly, yea marvelously, preserved him from harm in the midst of countless peril...and hath hitherto graciously held him in His hand as His chosen vessel." (Hyatt, pg. 115)
 
Visitors to Washington's camps confirmed that he made a habit of going into the woods for a time of prayer with the Almighty. It would be good for us to remember that not only did Washington and his troops pray, but when the Continental Congress opened, each of their sessions started with prayer. In addition, proclamations for national days of repentance, and prayer, and fasting were regularly issued. It is God alone who brought victory to the American Troops and brought about the surrender of British General Cornwallis on October 19, 1783.
 
What an example we have to follow through George Washington! How has America fallen so far from the vision of our founding fathers? There are times, when I pray for others, that I point out the following:  "You can tell the greatness of the call on their lives by the fierceness of the attack on them." This is true of America, and that God placed a call on our nation to be an example to all the world of what a godly nation should look like. Because of this call, the forces of darkness have targeted us for destruction, and waged a campaign to destroy us. We are in a battle for the very call on our lives. This battle can only be won as we return to God's call on our nation and our godly foundations. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 admonishes us, "Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." If George Washington won the Revolutionary War through prayer, the Christian community can win the war against the darkness and be reestablished as a saved nation. Let us keep praying for our nation, as prayer is the weapon of our warfare that will transform the world.