A Sesquicentennial Call to Duty
National Day of Prayer
May 2, 2013
Whereas, the Senate of the United States devoutly recognizing the Supreme Authority and just Government of Almighty God in all the affairs of men and of nations, has, by a resolution, requested the President to designate and set apart a day for national prayer and humiliation:
And whereas, it is the duty of nations as well as of men to own their dependence upon the overruling power of God, to confess their sins and transgressions in humble sorrow yet with assured hope that genuine repentance will lead to mercy and pardon, 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. –National Day of Prayer Proclamation, March 30, 1863
One hundred fifty years later, the sesquicentennial year after this proclamation was given, we convene again for the National Day of Prayer. The above words spoken so deliberately at a transitional time in our Nation’s history give us a roadmap for this year’s Day of Prayer. We have a duty—both national and individually to own our dependence upon Almighty God.
The State of Kentucky has fulfilled that duty this year in beating back the American Atheists lawsuit against the state’s Homeland Security Statute, which declared that the people of the Commonwealth are dependent upon Almighty God and His protection which is vital to the security of the state. Colonel Ron Ray along with First Principles Press and the Institute for Moral Law represented 35 Kentucky Senators and 96 State Representatives in defense of this historic and Constitutional reference to God. FPP continues to support and uphold the Declaration of Independence from which we are endowed by our Creator with unalienable rights, and over four hundred years of organic utterances of American statesmen, laws, and historic records affirming America’s dependence upon Almighty God for our safety and security.
This year we would request that our friends and supporters pray specifically for the freedom to pray for all Christians in the military. Obama appointed leaders in the Department of Defense have reached a new level of hostility in silencing our chaplains, and labeling Catholics and evangelicals as religious “extremists.” This week the Pentagon announced it would consult with an organization to develop “religious tolerance policies.” That organization has published statements identifying Christians as “gangs of fundamentalist Christian monsters who terrorize their fellow Americans.” They accuse Christians of “spiritual rape,” “lust,” “tyranny,” and “treason.” This open hatred of Christianity is being propagated in the highest ranks of our military.
How far we have fallen from the honor and submission given by the men and women who founded the Colonies that would unite as the most powerful and blessed nation on earth! The Virginia charter reads,
We, greatly commending and graciously accepting of their Desires for the Furtherance of so noble a Work, which may, by the Providence of Almighty God, hereafter tend to the Glory of His Divine Majesty, in propagating of Christian Religion to such People, as yet live in Darkness and miserable Ignorance of the true Knowledge and Worship of God…
And the Charter of Pennsylvania, written by William Penn, directed that Christian leaders would guide the affairs of the colony:
All persons living in this province, who confess and acknowledge the One Almighty and Eternal God to be the Creator, Upholder, and Ruler of the world, and that hold themselves obliged in conscience to live peaceably and justly in civil society, shall in no wise be molested or prejudiced for their religious persuasion or practice. And that all persons who also profess to believe in Jesus Christ, the Savior of the World, shall be capable to serve this government in any capacity, both legislatively or executively.
It is still the duty of all patriots on the National Day of Prayer “to confess their sins and transgressions in humble sorrow yet with assured hope that genuine repentance will lead to mercy and pardon, 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.”
The Army and Navy Service Book of 1917 gave inspiration to our servicemen during WWI, and gives us a prayer model to fulfill our duty to pray for our nation.
Teach me, O Master, the courage with which Thou didst face Thy every duty and trial, the consecration with which Thou didst make Thy every sacrifice, that heartened by Thy blessed example, I may never waver in duty, danger or sacrifice, but as a good soldier of the Cross be enabled the better to serve the Country that I love; Who livest and reignest, etc. [1] —Army and Navy Service Book, 1917
Let the sesquicentennial call to duty incite you to pray today. May the Lord, the Just Ruler of the Universe, grant us forgiveness and favor as we call on His name on the National Day of Prayer this year.
[1] Endowed By Their Creator. A Collection of Historic Military Prayers: 1774-Present. 2nd Edition., First Principles Press, 2013, p. 68.
First Principles Releases Second Edition of “Endowed By Their Creator” Amidst Christian Persecution in the Military
With the 2nd Edition of Endowed by Their Creator, First Principles Press is responding to the urgent need in our military and the requests from chaplains and service members to provide a history of prayer in the American military and a spiritual resource. Endowed By Their Creator demonstrates the necessity of prayer to America’s military mission and our dependence for security and safety upon the providence of Almighty God. The First Edition extended to 38 states including – military institutions, Bible colleges, veterans groups, Campus Crusade for Christ Military Ministry, Stonecroft Military Ministry, Navigators, and the Kentucky National Guard. Many of these groups are providing chaplains and troops on the front lines with the knowledge that they have the right to pray.
The Second Edition is timely for those in our military who are experiencing unprecedented attacks on their Christian faith. To wit:
After receiving numerous complaints about attacks on Christianity in the military, Representative Todd Akin (R-MO) introduced an amendment to the 2013 National Defense Authorization Act to protect servicemen from reprisals for their religious belief. Akin stated that “there is a war on religious belief in the military.” Representative Randy Forbes (R-VA) told Fox News, “It’s been a steady attack on faith and religious freedom that we’ve seen in our military like we’ve never seen before.” During SecDef Chuck Hagel’s confirmation hearing, several questions addressed Christian persecution:
- Commanders are barred from disclosing any programs that are tied to the Chaplaincy or any programs involving religion;
- The Air Force banned the word ‘God’ from an Air force patch logo – even though the reference had no religious connotation;
- A Navy directive banned Bibles at Walter Reed Hospital;
- An Army Reserve training program listed Evangelical Christians and Catholics as examples of religious extremism;
- An Army email sent from Ft. Campbell Kentucky listed Family Research Council and American Family Association as “domestic hate groups, and warned officers to monitor soldiers who might be supporters of these groups;”
- A war game scenario at Fort Leavenworth identified Christian groups and Evangelical groups as being potential threats;
- Christian prayers were banned at the funeral services for veterans at Houston’s National Cemetery;
Congressman Forbes asked why “the department is issuing orders prohibiting people in the chain of command from talking about chaplain’s programs, supporting faith, but they’re not prohibiting people in the chain of command from making anti-faith statements, and doing anti-faith training.”
At this critical time when members of the military are being silenced, we want to offer the widest distribution possible of this historic collection of prayers, which allows anyone of any station or faith, the opportunity to draw from its pages a prayer associated with an historic occasion or prayed by a military leader, which can then be offered in a public setting as the organic utterances of the American military. As the voices of presidents and military heroes recorded in this book have continuously maintained, America and her fighting forces must not lose touch with our nation’s understanding of the “Creator” named in the Declaration of Independence, and His broad and great endowment of Divine Providence for our “One Nation Under God.”
I look upon the spiritual life of the soldier as even more important than his physical equipment. The soldier’s heart, the soldier’s spirit, the soldier’s soul sustains him; if not he cannot be relied upon and he will fail himself, his commander, and his country in the end. It’s morale and I mean spiritual morale, which wins the victory ultimately. And that type of morale can only come out of a soldier who knows God and who has the spirit of religious fervor in his soul. – Gen. George C. Marshall
*Copies will be available for purchase at the end of May 2013.*
