Isn’t it interesting that almost all presidents end their speeches with
the phrase “May God bless America”? Whenever there’s a natural disaster
or crisis in one’s family or life, we always talk about the need to
pray. However, when things are going well, we forget about God and we
frequently forget about godly principles. It is interesting to note that
during the Constitutional Convention in 1787, our nation was about to
split apart due to political differences when the elder statesman
Benjamin Franklin proposed a unique solution before the assembly.
He said, “Gentlemen, during the Revolutionary War every other phrase out
of our mouths involved a request for God’s help which we obviously
received. Now we barely speak his name. We need to get down on our knees
immediately and ask for God’s guidance.” The entire assembly
immediately knelt and prayed. When they arose, they put together a
16-and-one-third page document known as the Constitution of the United
States.
{mosads}The convention began the practice of starting each congressional session with prayer. Believe it or not, this practice still continues today in a society that seems to praise secularism over religion.
Now we need to make sure that our prayers are not simply formality; we need the guidance of God not only to save our nation, but to recapture the spirit of compassion and caring that characterizes our nation. We can’t turn on a switch that tells us that we’re going to be good and then immediately turn it off. We need a change of heart that comes from God.