As
he was preparing to leave home as a young soldier, George Washington’s mother,
Mary Ball Washington, exhorted him, “Remember that God is our only sure trust.”
She also urged him, “My son, neglect not
the duty of secret prayer” (Hyatt, 1726: The Year that Defined America, 131).
The
evidence is overwhelming that Washington
remembered and carried out his mother’s exhortations. It is obvious that prayer
played a prominent role in his life and in the birthing of the United States of
America.
Prayer As a Young Man
In
April of 1891, several of Washington’s descendants, including Lawrence
Washington, Bushrod Washington, and Thomas B. Washington, sold a collection of
his personal items at auction in Philadelphia. Among
the items was a little book filled with daily prayers in Washington’s own
handwriting when he was in his twenties.
Entitled, Daily Sacrifice, these prayers are deeply
devotional and evangelical in nature. For example, the first entry reads, in
part,
Let my heart, therefore,
gracious God, be so affected with the glory and majesty of Thine honor that I
may not do my own works, but wait on Thee, and discharge those duties which
Thou requirest of me.
The following Monday morning, his prayer reads,
Direct my thoughts, words
and work, wash away my sins in the immaculate blood of the Lamb, and purge my
heart by Thy Holy Spirit . . . daily frame me more and more in the likeness of
Thy Son Jesus Christ.
Also, of note is his prayer:
Bless, O Lord, the whole
race of mankind, and let the world be filled with the knowledge of Thee and Thy
Son, Jesus Christ (Hyatt, 1726: The Year that Defined America, 132).
Prayer in Time of War
It is obvious that Washington continued to be a person of prayer.
For example, after accepting the call of the Continental Congress to serve as
Commander-in-Chief of the Colonial army, one of his first actions was to issue
an order that each day was to begin with prayer led by the officers if each unit. He also ordered
that each soldier, unless their duties required them to be elsewhere, was to
observe “a
punctual attendance of Divine services, to implore the blessing of heaven upon
the means used for our safety and public defense.”
That Washington himself was a person of prayer in his
private life was confirmed by Isaac Potts, who lived near Valley Forge,
Pennsylvania where the American Army was quartering under much duress during
the winter of 1774-75. Potts was a Quaker and a pacifist who opposed the war
until he had a life-changing experiencing while riding through the woods one
day during, perhaps, the bleakest period of the war. He said,
I heard a plaintive sound as, of a man at prayer. I tied my horse to a
sapling and went quietly into the woods and to my
astonishment I saw the great George Washington on his knees alone, with
his sword on one side and his cocked hat on the other. He was at Prayer to the
God of the Armies, beseeching to interpose with
his Divine aid, as it was ye Crisis, and the cause of the country, of humanity
and of the world. Such a prayer I never heard from the lips of man. I left him
alone praying. I went home and told my wife I saw a sight and heard today what
I never saw or heard before, and just related to her what I had seen and heard
and observed. We never thought a man could be a soldier and a Christian, but if
there is one in the world, it is Washington (Hyatt, 1726: The Yearthat Defined America, 115-16).
Washington’s Earnest Prayer for the
New Nation
Washington prevailed in prayer. Against overwhelming
odds, the ragtag Colonial army defeated the mighty British war machine. The
British general, Cornwallis, surrendered his entire army to Washington on October
19, 1781.
Having completed his mission, Washington issued a letter
of resignation as commander-in-chief to the Continental Congress. He then wrote
what could be described as a pastoral letter, dated June 14, 1783, to the
governors of the various states. This letter included his “earnest prayer” that
is here quoted in part. He wrote,
I now make it my earnest prayer that God
would have you, and the State over which you preside, in his holy protection;
that he would incline the hearts of the citizens . . . to entertain a
brotherly affection and love for one another . . . and to demean ourselves with
that charity, humility, and pacific temper of mind, which were the
characteristics of the Divine Author of our blessed religion, and without a
humble imitation of His example in these things, we can never hope to be a
happy nation (Hyatt, 1726: The Year that Defined America, 120).
President Washington Prays
After being sworn in as the nation’s first president with his hand on a Bible, Washington presented his first inaugural address, which was filled with references to God. After the ceremony, held in New York City, Washington and Congress proceeded to St. Paul’s chapel where they participated in a prayer and worship service.
Shortly after assuming the presidency, Washington proclaimed a National Day of
Prayer and Thanksgiving. In the proclamation, he gave the reason for the Day of
Prayer, saying,
That we may unite in most humbly
offering our prayers and supplications to the Great Lord and Ruler of Nations
and beseech him to pardon our national sins and other transgressions, to enable
us all, whether in public or private stations, to perform our several and
relative duties properly and punctually, to render our national government a
blessing to all people, by constantly being a government of wise, just and
constitutional laws, discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed (Hyatt, 1726:The Year that Defined America, 134).
Praying to the Very End
That
Washington continued to be devout in his latter years was confirmed by his nephew Robert Lewis, who lived with Washington and served as his private secretary
during the first part of his presidency. Lewis said he had accidentally
witnessed Washington’s private devotions in his library both morning and
evening. On those occasions he saw
Washington kneeling with a Bible open before him. Lewis understood this
to be Washington’s daily practice.
Mason Locke Weems (1759-1825), who wrote the first biography of Washington after his death, says that he died with a prayer on his lips. Describing Washington's passing, Weems says, "He closes his eyes with his own hands, folds his arms decently on his breast, and then breathing out, 'Father of mercies, take me to Thyself,' he falls asleep."
An Example to Follow
Yes,
our first president was unashamedly a devout person of prayer. There is no question that his prayer life played a primary role in the birthing of America. Modern presidents
and politicians would be wise to follow his example.
This article was derived from Dr. Eddie Hyatt's book, 1726: The Year that Defined America, available from Amazon and his website at www.eddiehyatt.com.
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