A Plea for our Nation: Then and Now
Last Sunday, on the "Free - Please Take" bookshelf at Camp Sonshine, I ran across a hardcover edition of The Prayers of Peter Marshall, published in 1954.
Marshall, a Scottish immigrant and noted Presbyterian pastor, was Chaplain of the U.S. Senate from 1947 until his untimely death in 1949. He was noted for his warm and incisive prayers that opened business each day in the Senate.
Leafing through the book, I was struck by the following prayer, spoken on the Senate floor in 1947. This brief prayer would doubtless draw howls of protest today. But how keenly it expresses the need of our nation sixty years later!
Our Father, we stand to join our hearts in prayer in our acknowledgment of our great need of Thy guidance. We know that by ourselves we are not sufficient for these days or for problems beyond the measure of our best wisdom.
We are finding out that government of the people by the people is not good enough. We pray for government of the people by God.
As this Nation was founded under God, so we confess that our freedom, too, must be under God. Then, and only then, shall we achieve the peace we seek and the righteousness which exalteth a nation.
Hear our prayer, O God, and grant unto the Members of this body Thy guidance, we humbly beseech Thee in Jesus name. Amen.
posted by Mark Frees @ 9:32 PM
2 comments
2 Comments:
Wow! I wonder what his daily prayers would sound like today - and I don't think Peter Marshall would have held back from his convictions, either.
Thank you for sharing this.
I couldn't help thinking of the prayer that opened Senate proceedings on July 12, 2007. It was offered by Rajan Zed ... the first Hindu to serve as guest chaplain for the Senate.
What a travesty.
"Let us pray. We meditate on the transcendental Glory of the Deity Supreme, who is inside the heart of the Earth, inside the life of the sky, and inside the soul of the Heaven. May He stimulate and illuminate our minds.
"Lead us from the unreal to the real, from darkness to light, and from death to immortality. May we be protected together. May we be nourished together. May we work together with great vigor. May our study be enlightening. May no obstacle arise between us.
"May the Senators strive constantly to serve the welfare of the world, performing their duties with the welfare of others always in mind, because by devotion to selfless work one attains the supreme goal of life. May they work carefully and wisely, guided by compassion and without thought for themselves.
"United your resolve, united your hearts, may your spirits be as one, that you may long dwell in unity and concord.
"Peace, peace, peace be unto all. Lord, we ask You to comfort the family of former First Lady, Lady Bird Johnson. Amen."
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