Celebrating 250 Years: George Washington-2

Why has God blessed America? One reason is godly leadership:
“Moreover, you shall select from all the people able men, such as fear God, men of truth,  hating covetousness; and place such over them to be rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens.” -Ex18:21
 
 Check out this prayer by our first leader, President George Washington:
Sunday Morning Prayer:
“Almighty God, and most merciful father, who didst command the children of Israel to offer a daily sacrifice to thee, that thereby they might glorify and praise thee for thy protection both night and day, receive, O Lord, my morning sacrifice which I now offer up to thee; I yield thee humble and hearty thanks that thou has preserved me from the danger of the night past, and brought me to the light of the day, and the comforts thereof, a day which is consecrated of thine own service and for thine own honor. Let my heart, therefore, Gracious God, be so affected with the glory and majesty of it, that I may not do mine own works, but wait on thee, and discharge those weighty duties thou requirest of me, and since thou art a God of pure eyes, and wilt be sanctified in all who draw near unto thee, who doest not regard the sacrifice of fools, nor hear sinners who tread in thy courts, pardon, I beseech thee, my sins, remove them from thy presence, as far as the east is from the west, and accept of me for the merits of thy son Jesus Christ, that when I come into thy temple, and compass thine altar, my prayers may come before thee as incense; and as thou wouldst hear me calling upon thee in my prayers, so give me grace to hear thee calling on me in thy word, that it may be wisdom, righteousness, reconciliation and peace to the saving of the soul in the day of the Lord Jesus. Grant that I may hear it with reverence, receive it with meekness, mingle it with faith, and that it may accomplish in me, Gracious God, the good work for which thou has sent it. Bless my family, kindred, friends and country, be our God & guide this day and forever for his sake, who lay down in the Grave and arose again for us, Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.”
https://www1.cbn.com/george-washingtons-prayer-journal-4
 
  One way to judge the fruit of a person’s godliness is his prayer life.
Three things immediately jump out about George Washington’s prayer:
1.“Morning prayer”. The idea of “Morning” implies that he prayed more than once a day. In other words, GW believed in prayer.
2.The amount of the Word of God included in his prayer indicates:
                   i.He didn’t just read the Bible, but was a student of the
                       Bible!!!
                   ii.He was taught to pray the Word of God
                   iii.He was a mature Christian
3.Deists don’t pray because they reject the idea that God personally intervenes with man.
 
This prayer would be absolutely amazing…if Washington were a theologian!!!! But he was a General in the military; a founding father, and most importantly, America’s first President, which means he set ‘THE’ precedent for future presidents to follow!! 
After closely examining GW’s prayer, we find a list of phrases, words, and principles that are taken directly from Scripture. In other words, GW prayed God’s Word (Is55:8,9)!!!!
 
“Almighty God”-Gen17:1; “merciful Father”-2Cor1:3; “children of Israel”-Gen32:32(644 times in KJV); “to offer a daily sacrifice to thee”-Eze46:13, Heb13:15; “glorify and praise thee for thy protection both night and day”-Neh9:17,18;Ps145:2; “my morning sacrifice which I now offer up to thee;”-Ps5:3; “Gracious God,” -Jon4:2; has preserved me from the danger of the night past” -Ps91:10-12; “but wait on thee”-Ps27:14; “pure eyes” -Hab1:13; “sanctified in all who draw near unto thee” -Ps73:28; “sacrifice of fools,” -Eccl5:1; “east is from the west” -Ps103:12; “merits of thy son Jesus Christ” -Is53; “compass thine altar” -Ps26:6; “my prayers may come before thee as incense” -Ps141:2; “wouldst hear me calling upon thee in my prayers” -Ps27:7; “so give me grace to” -Jms4:6; “saving of the soul” -Heb10:39; “in the day of the Lord Jesus”-1Cor5:5, 2Pet3:10; “Gracious God” - Jonah4:2; “Bless my family, kindred, friends and country” Eph1:3; 1Chron4:10; “be our God” -Jer7:23; Jer11:4; “who lay down in the Grave and arose again for us,”-Rom14:8,1Cor15:3,4, 2Cor5:15, 1Thes4:14; “Jesus Christ our Lord,” -Rom1:3, (9 times in NT).
 
 WOW! Amazing! Incredible!!!
 
In the 1830’s, French nobleman Alexis de Tocqueville travelled across America to discover the source of this country's greatness, which resulted in his classic work ‘Democracy in America’, where he stated: 
“I sought for the greatness and genius of America in her commodious harbors and her ample rivers … and it was not there … in her rich mines and her vast world commerce … and it was not there … in her democratic Congress and her matchless Constitution … and it was not there. Not until I went into the churches of America and heard her pulpits aflame with righteousness did I understand the secret of her genius and her power. America is great because she is good, and if America ever ceases to be good, she will cease to be great."
 
  Although George Washington was not a pastor, preacher, or theologian, his prayer life teaches several things:
1.The ‘Christianity’ of our nation. Or, America was/is a ‘Christian’ nation!
2.The Christian ‘maturity’ of everyday Americans
3.The ‘flame of righteousness’ that burned brightly from America’s pulpits
 
  Remember, “righteousness exalts(Pro14:34)”…a nation!!
 
 
QuoteBit
Civilizations die not by murder, but by suicide.  - Historian Arnold Joseph Toynbee