Thoughts on Tuesday ~ God & Country

Continuing the summer message series, we had Military Appreciation Day this past Sunday. Senator Brian Birdwell came to speak regarding God and Country. I'm afraid that I'm going to do him a great disservice as I attempt to summarize his message, because he had such a wealth of information for us. He carefully traced our Country's roots of faith, faith that under-girded and guided our Founding Fathers as they created our great nation. He used factual information regarding the structure of the Declaration of Independence and how it shaped the Constitution, quotes from those such as George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, and George Mason, and Scripture to shape his teaching. I was enraptured the whole time, and though I was taking notes like crazy, I just couldn't keep up with the wealth of information that he shared.

I was encouraged and inspired by his message, and I keep thinking back to a specific quote that he shared from Benjamin Franklin: "I therefore beg leave to move-that henceforth prayers imploring the assistance of Heaven, and its blessings on our deliberations, be held in this Assembly every morning before we proceed to business...".

Here, Mr. Franklin was reminding the Convention (who had reached a deadlock) that in previous situations of writing treaties, deliberating and carefully constructing a Declaration of Independence, they had prayerfully sought wisdom, and this was a time they should return to doing so.

I seem to do the same thing. I've seen the work that prayer can do. I acknowledge my own limitations. However, I often forget the most fundamental and useful tool - prayer.

I fret. I think. I work. But, I forget to seek Him. I forget, or I willfully neglect, to share my heart and ask humbly of the Lord to guide and direct me and then listen.