The American Soul
The American Soul
When Presidents Prayed: George Washington's Intimate Conversations with God
What does it mean for America to be "a city on a hill"? In this soul-stirring exploration of our nation's spiritual bedrock, we uncover the remarkable prayer journals of George Washington that reveal a founding father deeply devoted to Christ. Far from the cold, distant figure often portrayed in history books, Washington's own words show him prostrate before God, seeking divine mercy and guidance daily.
"I will call on thee as long as I live, from the rising of the sun to the going down of the same," wrote the father of our country in his private devotions. These handwritten prayers directly challenge modern narratives attempting to remove Christianity from America's founding story. As we read Washington's humble supplications alongside Jesus's teachings in the Sermon on the Mount, we're confronted with a profound question: How can we claim to be "the light of the world" without Christ at our national center?
The episode delves into our personal priorities as well—what we give our time to reveals what we truly value. Do we touch our phone screens more than our Bibles? Do we spend more hours on entertainment than in prayer or with family? These uncomfortable truths mirror our national drift from spiritual foundations. As Filipino General Carlos Romulo observed, "America began as a God-loving, God-fearing, God-worshiping people." This spiritual heritage isn't just historical trivia—it's the key to our future as a nation that produces liberty. Whether examining Harvard's origins as a Christian seminary or considering the purpose of education in a Christian republic, this episode calls us to reclaim the spiritual foundations that made America great.
Where do you stand? Join us on this journey to rediscover America's soul and consider how we might return to being that "shining city on a hill" our founders envisioned. Subscribe, share, and let's rebuild America's spiritual foundation together.
The American Soul Podcast
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Hey folks, this is Jesse Cope, back with another episode of the American Soul Podcast. Hope y'all are doing well, wherever y'all are, whatever part of the day you're in. I sure do appreciate you joining me, giving me a little bit of your time and attention, a little piece of your day. I will try and use it wisely and hopefully we all get something out of it. Hopefully it helps us draw closer to God and Jesus Christ, even if just a little bit, and hopefully it helps our countries here in America and wherever you are around the world listening draw closer to God and Jesus Christ. For those of y'all who continue to share the podcast with others, tell others about it thank you so much. Very, very grateful for that. For those of y'all who continue to pray for me and for the podcast, thank you for that. Very grateful for that Need that. And for those of y'all who are new to the podcast here, I'm glad you're here, hope you get something out of it and hope you come back.
Speaker 1:Father, thank you for today. Thank you for you, father, and your Son Jesus Christ, and your Holy Spirit. Thank you for your love and mercy, your grace and your forgiveness of sins through the merit of your Son Jesus Christ. Thank you for those who and mercy your grace and your forgiveness of sins through the merit of your son Jesus Christ. Thank you for those who listen to the podcast and support it. Be with them, be with their families, around them with your angels. Protect them from evil of any kind. Guide us, lord, in all that we do. Guide our thoughts and our words, our actions. Help us to do your will. Above all else, help us to help those that have less than we do. Help us to help our country. Turn back to you, father, and your Son Jesus Christ. Be with our leaders, both in the church and the state. Be with their families, their wives, their children. Guide them, bless them. Help them to do your will. Above all else, father, help them to rule in fear of you. Be with our educators, whether in public school or private school or homeschool or whatever level, k-12 or college or university. Give them wisdom and courage and a strong faith. Be with those who are hurting, those who are afflicted, whether it's pain, sickness, illness, injury, emotional or physical. Comfort them, give them your peace, help them to feel your presence. Give us perseverance all the way to the end, father, all the way home to you and your Son Jesus Christ, keep our souls safe and help us to do your will in all things. And God, my word to your Father. Please, in the name of your Son, jesus Christ, we ask and pray Amen.
Speaker 1:Have you made time for God today? Have you made time to read his word? Have you made time to pray, to talk to him, just to be in contact with him? Is that what you do when you first roll out of bed in the morning? Do you hit your knees in the morning and pray at night before you go to bed in the middle of the day? Is he your first thought when you have either a struggle or a joy, to tell him thank you or to ask for his help, or is he the last resort or the last thing you think of?
Speaker 1:If you're married, does your spouse know it? Do you give more time to workouts and phones and TVs? Do you touch a phone screen more than you touch your spouse? That's right there, folks, unless your job requires you to touch your phone. But in your free time, when you get off of work, and if you're working overtime and you don't need to work overtime, that's a whole different discussion right there, because you're giving up part of your free time to work overtime when you don't need to work overtime. That's a whole different discussion right there, because you're giving up part of your free time to work overtime when you don't need to. But in your free time, how much of it is given to your spouse, to God, versus to a phone or TV or sports or workouts? How much do you touch your phone and hold it in your hand and touch that screen at night, compared to touching your spouse or flipping through the pages of your Bible? That tells you right there what your priorities are. Whatever you think about yourself, whatever you wish about yourself, if you will answer that question honestly and look at your day in and day out for the last week, the last month, the last year, the last decade, the last 20 years, last 30 years, whatever you have given your time to, that is your priority. Doesn't matter what you say. It doesn't matter what you wish your priorities were. That is what your priority is.
Speaker 1:So when I'm sitting here at night and I really ought to be in bed asleep so that I can get up and do better the next day and I sit there and I watch an hour and a half of TV, a TV show that has zero relevance on my life and that is not going to add to my character at all In fact, it'll detract a little bit from it based on the content of the show. Or when I'm sitting there watching a volleyball game or a football game or baseball or softball, and I spend three hours in front of that TV or sitting on a cold aluminum stand seat and that's doing nothing to improve my character or the quality of my life or my family's. When I look back, year after year folks, day after day, month after month, week after week, year after year those are my priorities. I hope that that makes you feel as uncomfortable as it makes me feel when I really think about what I give my time to. I hope that that makes you feel as one of our recent podcasts said Washington's own words about shame. I hope that makes you feel ashamed. Unless you're getting everything right and you really do have your priorities in order and God and your spouse are getting more time than anything else, then I hope it brings you great comfort and encouragement and joy and peace.
Speaker 1:Got an article I want to run through from the Epic Times and then we will move on. I think we're going to read through Matthew 5 one more time before we completely move on. This is I don't know what, what, what. April 23rd through the 29th edition of the Epic Times. If you don't get the Epic Times and you're a newspaper fan, I highly recommend it folks Best newspaper I've read in years and it's a weekly publication. They do a phenomenal job. They have a news section, an opinion section, a life and tradition section and kind of like a health and body, mind and body section. It's a great paper.
Speaker 1:So there's an article in here by Aaron Gifford talking about Trump floating revoking Harvard's tax exempt status, and there's a couple of things I want to run through with you. One why is why is he thinking about revoking? Whether he can or not is not the issue right now. Why is why would he even make that comment about floating the idea of revoking Harvard's tax-exempt status? Well, because they refuse to comply with removing the racism of DEI and anti-Semitism. They feel like that. Their encouragement and support of anti-Semitism and diversity, equality and inclusion, racism based on skin color, they feel like those are positive traits for Harvard.
Speaker 1:And while we're going through this, folks just realize that Harvard is just merely one example. That's representative of the majority of the majority, the vast majority, overwhelming majority of education in our nation today, regardless of whether it is public, private or homeschool. Now, your percentages change drastically depending on what group you're talking about, but the overall the majority of our education in America today Harvard's just an example particularly public. I really should have said that Public education, most of all Home school and private school, change the percentages quite a bit. So they don't want, they like the anti-Semitism and the DEI and they don't want to get rid of it. And so Trump is talking about doing something about it, right? Whether he can or not is irrelevant.
Speaker 1:There's a couple comments. One it's interesting the IRS has actually taken a university's tax-exempt status away before. About four decades ago, they revoked Bob Jones University tax exempt status because, ironically, they were practicing, they were not allowing people in if they were black or were in an interracial marriage or relationship, and so they were being racist. And so the Supreme Court said well, you're not going to have a tax-exempt status, right? So the tax-exempt status organizations with a 501c3 status. It provides a significant financial advantage over for-profit organizations. Schools that's one of the comments here by Aaron Gifford and what that status does, though.
Speaker 1:One of the things and this is a little rabbit trail, we're not going to go down too far is it prevents these organizations from publicly supporting or opposing candidates running for office. Churches are included in this. That's a horrible idea. That's really just a way for the left to try and silence churches from coming out strongly for pro-liberty, pro-american, pro-god and Jesus Christ candidates. Right, because if you come out for that from the pulpit, then theoretically they can take away your tax exempt status. All that is is an attempt to silence the churches, and you could probably make the same argument about Harvard. Harvard likes anti-Semitism, they like racism, and so taking away their tax-exempt status would be an attempt to get them not to promote those things, which, in this case, would be good. But you can make the argument right, free will, all that stuff.
Speaker 1:There's a couple of quotes here, though, that I'm going to read from Aaron Gifford, and the whole point of this is not whether the reason I'm talking about this is not whether I am approving or disapproving of trying to revoke Harvard's tax exempt status. That's not the point. Monumentally pro-left, which means that it is, by default, anti-god, anti-christ and therefore also by default, anti-american and anti-liberty. One of the comments in here the paragraph and it's a pretty good article by Mr Gifford, but there's two paragraphs in here.
Speaker 1:The First Amendment protects colleges and universities, ensuring that they are free to decide what to teach and who their students and professors are, said Genevieve Lake here the First Amendment, scholar at the University of Chicago Law School, academic freedom and it is constitutionally protected in this country, she said, adding that the government cannot threaten funding cuts or revoke a school's tax status as punishment for its views for what the school teaches. That is absolutely that statement. Right, there is 100%. No, it's not 100%, but it is false. That is a false statement.
Speaker 1:If you go to a public school right now and you're the superintendent in the school board and you decide that, like Fisher Ames told us the man who actually worded the establishment clause in the First Amendment that the Bible should be the primary textbook, they are going to come after you with everything they got. So that statement that a school ought to be able to teach what they view is right to teach, that is not the case in America today. If you walked into a public K-12 school and you became the superintendent of the school board and you said the primary text in every classroom is going to be the Bible. That's what we're going to teach from, that's going to be the center of our education. They would come after you with everything they got. We do not live in a nation where our education system is based on the Bible, despite the fact that our founders and our great leaders many, despite the fact, ironically, that Harvard started out that way. Right, there's another irony that I hadn't really thought about until we were talking about this Harvard that we've talked about so often, started for Christ and for the church, and now here they are, all these years later, in the opposite direction. So it's a good article. If you get a chance, go read it. Pretty interesting.
Speaker 1:But the bottom line here, folks again, is the left has known for a century if they can control children, if they can separate children from God and Jesus Christ and their family, they can control First of all. If they can control the children just in general, they can control the future of the nation Within that they want to destroy America. John Dewey, father of modern public American education, made that perfectly clear in a book that he wrote back in 1929. He was a huge proponent of the Bolshevik schools, the communist schools in Soviet Russia schools, the communist schools in Soviet Russia and he stated that was the main goal of education was to separate children from God and from the church, from God and Jesus Christ. We're behind the ball, behind the power curve a long way, folks. If you want to control the future of the country, if you want America to still be here 100 years from now, producing liberty, a shining beacon, a shining city on a hill for the world to look to, then it's got to be centered around God and Jesus Christ. And the only way to do that is to make that the center of the education of our children, whether it's public school or private school or homeschool, but specifically public school in a Christian republic, publicly funded, taxpayer funded education, has to be biblically based. Otherwise you're taking money from citizens in order to undermine and destroy that very nation.
Speaker 1:Matthew 5, sermon on the Mount, the Beatitudes. When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on the mountain and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. He opened his mouth and began to teach them, saying Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the gentle, for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall be satisfied. Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
Speaker 1:Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you, when people insult you and persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you. Because of me, rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you, disciples and the world. You are the salt of the earth, but if the salt has become tasteless, how can it be made salty again? The earth, but if the salt has become tasteless, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men. You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden, nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works and glorify your Father, who is in heaven.
Speaker 1:Do not think that I came to abolish the law or the prophets. I did not come to abolish but to fulfill. For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the law. But to fulfill, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I say to you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.
Speaker 1:Personal Relationships you have heard that the ancients were told you shall not commit murder and whoever commits murder shall be liable to the court. Shall not commit murder and whoever commits murder shall be liable to the court. But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be guilty before the court, and whoever says to his brother, you good for nothing, shall be guilty before the Supreme Court. And whoever says you fool, shall be guilty enough to go into the fiery hell. Therefore, if you are presenting your offering at the altar and there, remember that your brother has something against you. Leave your offering there before the altar and go first, be reconciled to your brother and then come and present your offering. Make friends quickly with your opponent at law, while you are with him on the way, so that your opponent may not hand you over to the judge and the judge to the officer and you be thrown into prison. Truly, I say to you, you will not come out of there until you have paid up the last cent.
Speaker 1:You have heard that it was said you shall not commit adultery, but I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye makes you stumble, tear it out and throw it from you, for it is better for you to lose one of your parts of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. If your right hand makes you stumble, cut it off and throw it from you, thrown into hell. If your right hand makes you stumble, cut it off and throw it from you, for it is better for you to lose one part, one of the parts of your body, than for your whole body to go into hell. It was said whoever sends his wife away, let him give her a certificate of divorce. But I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except for the reason of unchastity, makes her commit adultery. And whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery Again.
Speaker 1:You have heard that the ancients were told you shall not make false vows, but shall fulfill your vows to the Lord. But I say to you, make no oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, or by earth, for it is the footstool of his feet, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great king, verse 2. Know, anything beyond these is of evil. You have heard that it was said an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. But I say to you, do not resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also. If anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, let him have your coat also. Whoever forces you to go one mile, go with him too. Give to him who asks of you and do not turn away from him. Who wants to borrow from you?
Speaker 1:You have heard that it was said you shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I say to you love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven, for he causes his son to rise on the evil and the good and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same. If you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same. Therefore, you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
Speaker 1:There's a lot here, I think, basically for me and again folks, I say this often on purpose, because I don't want to be held responsible at a higher level than I need to be. I'm not a priest or a pastor or a theologian. I'm just a simple, average, everyday guy reading the Bible and trying to encourage others to read it and think about it a little bit. So everything that I say on this podcast, especially well, really, I guess, even if you agree with it or disagree with it I was going to say, especially if you disagree but even if you agree with it, if you ought to check it against scripture always, because guaranteed, just like we've been talking about with George Washington's prayer journals. I have a pile of sins in my life and I mess up constantly, and so the way that you're going to be able to discern whether what I'm telling you on the podcast is right or not is to make sure that you're reading the Bible is right or not is to make sure that you're reading the Bible, and I will try to do my best. When I slip up here and make mistakes hopefully accidentally, but even on purpose is to come back and address those and seek your forgiveness and pick myself back up and try and do a little better again. Right, okay, so read the Bible each day.
Speaker 1:So the first thing here you're the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand and it gives light to all those who are in the house. Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven. Light of the world. A city set on a hill. Reagan used that phrase. A number of others have used that phrase. Folks, we're not a city on a hill if we don't have God and Jesus Christ at the heart of our nation. We can't be a city on a hill shining light to those around the world. If we don't have God and Jesus Christ at the heart of our nation, we're going to be a darkness, a really dark darkness, like going back into the dark ages, if we try and continue down that path.
Speaker 1:I'm trying to find and I don't know if I can quickly a quote that we we read on the podcast a number of times and it talks about us as a nation, and I don't think I'm going to be able to find it. It was from an admiral in World War II. Maybe that was it. Let me look up one and if it's not, we will move on. Sometimes I can remember the quotes, sometimes not. No, all right, I'm not going to spend any more time on it. I wish I had it in front of me.
Speaker 1:It's a quote from a Philippine general, a Filipino general in World War II, and basically he says look, I know that y'all have done all these great things America and y'all have and I've been awed by them, just like everybody else is, by your skyscrapers and your arsenals and all of your abilities. But you need to remember that at your heart you are a God-fearing Christian nation. That's the point, folks. All of our greatness our greatness over there, and we're living on the greatness of others right now. In America, we've had ancestors that have done so much and we're living on their shoulders right now, and I think the time is about to come where we're going to have to take our own stand. But even if it doesn't, we need to realize that we are living on what others have done before. But even those, it wasn't because they were so smart or so strong or so beautiful or so fast or whatever it is. It's because they look to God and Jesus Christ. That's what has made America great, that's always been the key to making America great, and if we don't have God and Jesus Christ, we're not going to put light into the world, we're going to take light out of the world.
Speaker 1:Verse 24,. I say to you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. I think, at least for me, folks, that's the whole point of this chapter. There's a lot of great nuggets in it, but it's basically Jesus talking, at least when I feel like he's talking to me saying look, there's no way you're going to be good enough to get to heaven, even if you can't do all of these things. It's overwhelming If you really read through them and you try and do like.
Speaker 1:At the end, where he talks about loving your enemies, how many of us love our enemies every day? How many of us love those people that kick us when we're down and jump up and down on our heart and break our hearts or our bodies, right? How many of us love those people? And, of course, love doesn't mean that we just let them get away with anything, folks, you know. So I mean, I'm not saying that there aren't earthly consequences, there are but how many of us truly love our enemies in the way that Jesus Christ tells us to? That one alone, right, there, gets me no way I get into heaven. Even if that's the only, if that was the only law that I had to keep my entire life, I've already failed. In fact, I fail pretty frequently in that I don't like people that don't like me, that aren't kind to me, right? That's not easy, that aren't kind to me, right? That's not easy. And so I have felt often reading this chapter over the years.
Speaker 1:This verse 20, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees.
Speaker 1:Well, so what do I need? I need Jesus Christ. I've got to have Christ, I've got to have the blood of Jesus Christ in order for me to get there. Verse 22,. But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be guilty before the court. And whoever says to his brother, you good for nothing, shall be guilty before the Supreme court. And whoever says you fool, shall be guilty enough to go into the fiery hell. How many people have you called good for nothing over the years, mentally, if not out loud? How many people have you looked at and said you're, you're a fool, you're an idiot, you're a center, not me. Hmm, you're a sinner, not me.
Speaker 1:Jesus Christ, it's the only way, folks. He's the only way to get to God in eternal life. You can't do it through false gods, sports entertainment, money, sex, alcohol, drugs, greed. You can't do it through the imposter religions. Right, like Chancellor Kent, chief Justice of the New York Supreme Court, of the New York Supreme Court, that Islam, buddhism, hinduism, mother Natureism, satanism, all of them. None of those paths lead to God and eternal life. All right, we're going to finish up Washington today, wednesday evening.
Speaker 1:Holy and eternal Lord God, who art the King of heaven and the watchman of Israel that never slumberest or sleepest. What shall we render unto thee for all thy benefits, because thou hast inclined thy ear unto me. Therefore, will I call on thee as long as I live, from the rising of the sun to the going down of the same. Let thy name be praised Among the infinite riches of the mercy towards me. I desire to render thanks and praise for thy merciful preservation of me this day, as well as all the days of my life, and for the many other blessings and mercies, spiritual and temporal, which thou hast bestowed on me. Contrary, am I deserving All these thy mercies? Call on me to be thankful, and my infirmities and wants call for a continuance of thy tender mercies. Cleanse my soul, o Lord. I beseech thee from whatever is offensive to thee and hurtful to me, and give me what is convenient for me. Watch over me this night and give me comfortable and sweet sleep to fit me for the service of the day following. Let my soul watch for the coming of the Lord Jesus. Let my bed put me in the mind of my grave and my rising from there of my last resurrection. O Heavenly Father, so frame this heart of mine that I may ever delight to live according to thy will and command, in holiness and righteousness before thee all the days of my life. Let me remember, o Lord, the time will come when the trumpet shall sound and the dead shall arise and stand before the judgment seat and give an account of whatever they have done in the body, and let me so prepare my soul that I might do it with joy and not with grief. Bless the rulers and people of this. Bless the rulers and people of this, and forget not those who are under any affliction or oppression. Let thy favor be extended to all my relations, friends and others, all others who I ought to remember in my prayer. And hear me. I beseech thee for the sake of my dear Redeemer, in whose most holy words I further pray our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us and lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil, for thine is the kingdom and the glory and the power, forever and ever. Amen. Just another phenomenal prayer folks Realize again. This is George Washington, the father of our nation. This is showing you a very deep and abiding faith that he had. This is his personal prayer journal. It's representative of others of this founding generation. No way on God's green earth these people had this kind of faith and wanted to kick God and Jesus Christ out of the institutions, the public, the very public life, military, law enforcement, courts of our nation. No way, only an eternal Lord God, who art the King of heaven, the watchman of Israel, that never slumberest nor sleepest. What shall we render unto thee? For all thy benefits, I will call on thee as long as I live, from the rising of the sun to the going down of the same. Let thy name be praised. I need to work on that.
Speaker 1:Folks Praising God from morning to night, do y'all do a good job? Is that easy for you to praise God all day long? Do you praise him at all? Do you tell him thank you? Pretty bold words from the father of our nation. Encouraging little tidbit in there too right, god never sleeps, never slumbers. I desire to render thanks and praise for thy merciful preservation of me this day as well as all the days of my life, and for the many other blessings and mercies, spiritual and temporal, which thou hast bestowed upon me, contrary to my deserving.
Speaker 1:I don't thank God for the spiritual blessings he's given me very often for the faith or the parents that exemplified a faith, for the men and women in my life and I've had a lot that have been phenomenal examples of faith in God and Jesus Christ. I don't tell him thank you for them. Enough Rarely I tell him thank you for them. Enough Rarely I tell him thank you for them. I guess in a general sense I do quite a few of them, but I don't tell him thank you for their spiritual example. And, as I said, I've had a number which is all the more condemning because I've turned out such a waste based on all the benefits that I've been blessed with. That makes sense. Washington's words here contrary to my deserving, I definitely haven't gotten what I. I've gotten more than I deserved and I've done less than I should have with it.
Speaker 1:All these mercies call on me to be thankful, and my infirmities and once call for a continuance of thy tender mercies. Cleanse my soul, o Lord, I beseech thee from whatever is offensive to thee and hurtful to me, and give me what is convenient for me. The joys in our life, folks, the blessings, ought to encourage us each day to tell God thank you. The heartaches, the pain, the injury, the illness, the brokenness ought to encourage us each day to tell God thank you. The heartaches, the pain, the injury, the illness, the brokenness ought to encourage us to continue to turn to God for mercy, for pity, for comfort, for peace. Do you ever wonder if you would turn to God as much as you do, whether it's a lot or a little, whether it's however much you should or if it's less than you should? But however much you turn to God, do you ever wonder if you would turn to him as much without the problems in your life? I would like to pretend that I would. I would really like God to take all the pain and heartache and some of it's almost overwhelming out of my life. But I wonder if I would be as concerned with God and Jesus Christ and the condition of my soul If he took those pains away.
Speaker 1:You know, as a athlete, high school and college and in the Marine Corps, pain often almost universally Made me better and made me more concerned with how to do things right. Didn't really matter if it was a sport and a coach was getting on to me, if it was the Marine Corps, if it was an instructor, right. That pain served to sharpen my focus. By the same token, when I was really successful at something in those endeavors, that also encouraged me to do it again. It's kind of like that savings account we talked about, right, I wish that I had a savings account app on my phone that I could see what my account in heaven was, because that would encourage me, I feel like a lot to focus on that each day. If you could see the amount of money that was in your eternal savings account, right. I think the same is true if I could have an app where I could, after I did something you know, I could hear from God saying, hey, that was really well done, good and faithful servant. That would be super encouraging. I would want to hear that all the time.
Speaker 1:By the same token, if it was more like fire and brimstone, like, hey, you got a little crack down below you right now, and that would encourage me to do better, to do better, to do better, cleanse my soul from whatever is offensive to thee and hurtful to me. Yes, please, father, please. There's a lot more good stuff there, but I want to make sure that we get through. There's only just a little bit and it just stops. So let me read this.
Speaker 1:This is for Thursday morning. Most gracious Lord, god, whose dwelling is in the highest heavens, and yet behold us, the lowly and humble upon earth. I blush and am ashamed to lift up my eyes to thy dwelling place because I have sinned against thee. Look down, I beseech thee upon me, thy unworthy servant, who prostrate myself at the footstool of thy mercy, confessing my own guiltiness and begging pardon for my sins. What couldst thou have done, lord, more for me? Or what could I have done more against thee? And so there's a little note here. In this particular version it says the manuscript ended at this place, the close of a page. Whether the other pages were lost or the prayers were never completed has not been determined, but it sounds like he intended to continue writing and just didn't.
Speaker 1:And again, this is. Let me see if I can find there it is. This is a version that was written or produced by Herbert Burke. He was the rector of all saints church in Norristown and minister in charge of the Washington Memorial chapel, published for the benefit of the Washington Memorial chapel, norristown, pennsylvania, 1907. That's that particular version, that's what I've been looking at. So, seven, that's that particular version, that's what I've been looking at.
Speaker 1:So, but again, folks, you get the very clear feeling of the strong faith of George Washington and God and Jesus Christ and his humility before them, his need for their grace and his mercy for coming to God, giving him thanks, asking him for guidance and success, asking him for guidance and success. And you see this in a lot of other places, in the writings of our founding generation and our great leaders. And just again, folks, just add it to your toolbox, add this prayer journal. It ought to be something that's taught in our schools each year. Add this prayer journal to your toolbox. And when somebody tries to tell you that our nation of our nation wrote this very personal, very emotional is not the word I'm looking for, but sincere, maybe prayer journey of his own. And I wanted to close with this quote I managed to stumble on it here at the end. Quote I managed to stumble on it here at the end.
Speaker 1:Carlos Romulo was the general's name. He lived from 1899 until 1985. He was a Philippine general in World War II and this is his quote Never forget, americans, that yours is spiritual country. Yes, I know you're a practical people. Like others, I've marveled at your factories, your skyscrapers and your arsenals. But underlying everything else is the fact that America began as a God-loving, god-fearing, god-worshiping people. That's how we started, folks. That's the only way we can keep going and produce liberty is to be a God-fearing, god-loving, god-worshiping people. And you see in Washington's prayer journal his daily sacrifice, worship and fear and love. That's got to be the center of our nation. Folks, god bless y'all. God bless your families. God bless your marriages If you're married. God bless America. God bless your nation, wherever you are around the world. Listen, folks, we'll talk to y'all again real soon. Looking forward to it.