Opinion
By Judge John Marshall Meisburg, Jr
12-30-23
A major part of the Christian heritage of America is the history and importance of prayer. Columbus prayed his way across the Atlantic Ocean before he discovered the New World. The French Huguenots prayed after landing in Jacksonville, Florida. The Pilgrims prayed before they began their journey to America,
and thanked God at the first Thanksgiving. The settlers of Jamestown prayed when they landed in Virginia and planted a cross. Prayer was instrumental in the founding of our country.
On May 24, 1774, Thomas Jefferson drafted a Resolution for a Day of Fasting, Humiliation and Prayer, as the British blockaded Boston Harbor. With the help of Patrick Henry, the Resolution was unanimously adopted by the Virginia legislature. These prayers led to the revolutionary war and our independence as a nation.
During the Continental Congress, Benjamin Franklin urged the delegates to pray at a critical time in their deliberations on June 29, 1776. Five days later they all signed the Declaration of Independence. The Congress then declared Days of Fasting and Prayer every year during the war for independence.
General George Washington prayed in the snow ay Valley Forge when all looked to be lost in the revolutionary war. In prayer, the Lord gave Washington a plan to make a sneak attack on the British across the Delaware River on Christmas eve. As a result, the battle was won, and we went on to win the war for independence as a nation.
Abraham Lincoln spent many hours of prayer on his knees in the White House during the Civil War. He said he prayed because he did not know anyplace else to go. As a result, the war was won, and the Union was saved. He also prayed for God’s favor upon the Emancipation Proclamation and the freedom of slaves: “And upon this Act, sincerely believed to be an act of justice, I invoke the gracious favor of Almighty God.”
During World War II, General Patton asked his chaplain to prepare a “weather prayer” to halt the bad weather in Germany. The chaplain prayed as follows: “Almighty and most merciful Father, we humbly beseech Thee, of Thy great goodness, to restrain these immoderate rains, with which we have had to contend. Grant us fair weather for battle. Graciously harken to us as soldiers who call upon Thee, that armed with Thy power, we may advance from victory to victory, and crush the oppression and wickedness of our enemies, and establish Thy justice among men and nations. Amen.” General Patton loved the prayer so much he had it printed and given out to all of his soldiers. As a result, the rain and snow stopped, the weather cleared, and Patton’s 3rd Army American soldiers marched 100 miles in the snow, liberated the troops at Bastogne (the famous “Battle of the Bulge”) the Nazis were defeated, and World War II was won!
On D-Day, June 6, 1944, President Franklin Roosevelt spoke to the nation on national radio and prayed this prayer: “Almighty God: Our sons, pride of our nation, this day have set upon a mighty endeavor, a struggle to preserve our Republic, our religion, and our civilization, and to set free a suffering humanity. Some will never return. Embrace these Father, and receive them, Thy heroic servants, into Thy Kingdom.” Thousands died on D-Day, but the Allied troops made a beachhead in France, and went on to liberate France and Germany and win the war.
Prayer also played a role in defeating the Japanese in the Pacific. After two atomic bombs were dropped, and Japan surrendered, President Truman thanked God in these words: “Our victory has come with the help of God, Who was with us in the early days of adversity and disaster, and Who has now brought us to this glorious day of triumph. Let us give thanks to Him, and remember that we have now dedicated ourselves to follow Him and His ways to a lasting and just peace and to a better world.”
A National Day of Prayer was first proposed by the Second Continental Congress in 1775, and by President Lincoln in 1863. President Reagan made the National Day of Prayer a tradition on the First Thursday of May every year. We will be celebrating the National Day of Prayer on May 9, 2024 at First Baptist Church in Fernandina Beach, Florida, and all are invited to attend.
In 2001, after the 9/11 attack on the World Trade Center in New York, President Bush spoke from the Oval office and said this: “I ask your prayers for all those who grieve for the children whose worlds have been shattered for all who sense of safety and security have been threatened. And I pray that they will be comforted by a Power greater than all of us, spoken through the ages in Psalm 23: Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil for You are with me.” President Bush and Rev. Billy Graham then led the nation in prayer at the National Cathedral in Washington on September 14, 2001.
When the China Coronavirus hit America, President Trump proclaimed March 14, 2001 to be a National Day of Prayer, reminding us that “no problem is too big for God to handle.” Trump said: “As one nation under God, we are greater than the hardships we face and through prayers and acts of compassion and love, we will rise to this challenge and emerge stronger and more united that ever before.”
Prayer has played a major role in the Christian heritage of our country and is a key reason for the blessings that God has shed upon America!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR- JUDGE JOHN MARSHALL MEISBURG JR.
Judge John Marshall Meisburg, Jr., was a U.S. Administrative Law Judge with the Social Security Administration for 26 years in Jacksonville, Florida. He retired as a judge in 2021 and is now living in Fernandina Beach, Florida with his wife of 43 years, Dr. Denise Meisburg. They have six children and 11 grandchildren. Prior to being a judge, he was a lawyer with the Federal government for 23 years, serving in all three branches of the government, with the U.S. District Court, EEOC, Justice Department, Congress, FDIC and Office of Special Counsel (MSPB). He was in private law practice one year in Washington, D.C. and filed the lawsuit that became the landmark U.S. Supreme Court case on sexual harassment. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of Kentucky, and a Juris Doctor law degree from the University of Kentucky College of Law. He is a lifelong Christian, being raised in the Baptist faith in Louisville, Kentucky. He was an Elder at New Life Christian Fellowship in Jacksonville where he taught Sunday School, the Jewish Roots of the Faith and the Christian Heritage of America. He was a leader of both the National Day of Prayer and the House of Prayer in Jacksonville for over ten years. He has published ten books relating to Christian and legal ssues. He is now a member of Living Waters World Outreach Center in Fernandina Beach, where he serves in the prayer and home group ministry, and is a member of the Board of Directors for Faith Christian Academy.
Christian Heritage Articles:
“Christopher Columbus – Man of Great Faith and Courage” – Citizens Journal Florida
The Christian Heritage of America (Installment 2) – Citizens Journal Florida
The Christian Heritage of America Installment 3 – The French Huguenots! – Citizens Journal Florida
The Christian Heritage of America Installment 5 -The Great Awakening – Citizens Journal Florida
The views expressed in this commentary are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official position of Citizens Journal Florida.
