A little, bitty history lesson

The debates are now over and there are less than two weeks until our country comes to terms with probably one of the most life-changing elections, our nation has ever engaged in. 

The speeches have all been heard, the rhetoric has all been voiced, and months of campaigning with millions and millions of dollars having been spent, is approaching the end.  "D-Day".  Decision Day.  November 6, 2012.

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After fighting the Battle of White Marsh, it was a very cold, snowy night on Christmas week, 1777, when General George Washington walked away from his troops, mounted his horse and rode into the woods in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania.  It was appearing that the American Revolution was lost and that the greatest army in the world, the British army, was going to snuff away the dream of freedom.  It seemed all efforts had failed and Washington was nearing the end of the journey on that night.

When he arrived at a solitary place, he dismounted his horse, and knelt in the snow praying to God to lead our nation to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.  Washington knew that if there was any hope in winning, it would have to come from above. 

He prayed to the God that Elijah prayed to on Mt. Carmel. 

He prayed to the God that Moses prayed to when Israel was fighting it's enemies. 

He prayed to the God that Jesus prayed to in the garden of Gethsemane. 

He prayed to the God that, as Christians, we should all fall to our knees and pray to daily.

This prayer was witnessed by a man named Isaac Potts, the homeowner of the house George Washington had rented when he and his troops arrived at Valley Forge on December 19, 1777 and substantiated by Henry Woodman in his "History of Valley Forge," 1850, who said, "I have heard it said, that Washington used often to retire to solitary places, and on one of these occasions he was discovered by Isaac Potts engaged in vocal prayer, while in the woods."

General George Washington, a man of character, prayed until he heard from heaven.  Then, he returned to his officers and said, "Victory or death!"

Rev. Nathaniel Randolph Snowden, an ordained Presbyterian minister, left a diary behind which probably is the most, if not the only proof of General George Washington's prayer at Valley Forge.  This was Mr. Snowden's entry, found in his own handwriting, pertaining to said prayer:

"I knew personally the celebrated Quaker Potts who saw Gen'l Washington alone in the woods at prayer. I got it from himself, myself. Weems mentioned it in his history of Washington, but I got it from the man myself, as follows:
"I was riding with him (Mr. Potts) in Montgomery County, Penn'a near to the Valley Forge, where the army lay during the war of ye Revolution. Mr. Potts was a Senator in our State & a Whig. I told him I was agreeably surprised to find him a friend to his country as the Quakers were mostly Tories. He said, 'It was so and I was a rank Tory once, for I never believed that America c'd proceed against Great Britain whose fleets and armies covered the land and ocean, but something very extraordinary converted me to the Good Faith!" "What was that," I inquired? 'Do you see that woods, & that plain. It was about a quarter of a mile off from the place we were riding, as it happened.' 'There,' said he, 'laid the army of Washington. It was a most distressing time of ye war, and all were for giving up the Ship but that great and good man. In that woods pointing to a close in view, I heard a plaintive sound as, of a man at prayer. I tied my horse to a sapling & went quietly into the woods & 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, & the cause of the country, of humanity & of the world.

'Such a prayer I never heard from the lips of man. I left him alone praying.

'I went home & 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 & heard & observed. We never thought a man c'd be a soldier & a Christian, but if there is one in the world, it is Washington. She also was astonished. We thought it was the cause of God, & America could prevail.'

George Washington, his officers and troops plowed through the bitter cold snow that night.  Many without shoes, wearing blood soaked bandages with the aching feeling of hunger, twisting in their guts.  They crossed the Delaware River and attacked the enemy.  They won in a matter of minutes, because it was a total surprise.  Victory was theirs! That victory was born not when they defeated the enemy, but it was born the minute that General Washington got off his horse and prayed in the woods on that cold December night, when all else had failed.

You see, friends, General Washington did not seek to appease the enemy, he seeked higher power. 

America right now is appeasing Iran, China, Egypt, and Russia ~ all at Israel's expense.  This needs to end.  We need to start by seeking higher power, by getting right with God and by supporting Israel.  Our current president and his administration are tiptoeing around because they do not have the courage to stand and speak up for Israel.  Jerusalem was, is and always will be the capital city of Israel!  Israel is God's chosen, Holy land. 

"For he said, "Anyone who harms you harms my most precious possession." -  Zechariah 2:8

Again, I repeat, we are less than two weeks away from election day.

Right now, America needs to fall on their knees and hear from Heaven, not from Washington, D.C.  Our nation needs healing!   We need healing from greed.  We need healing from anarchy.  We need healing from immorality.  We need healing from racial and class warfare. We need healing from selfishness. We need to be united again and stand as the nation that our forefathers prayed we'd be, The United States of America!

We are, "One Nation Under God!" and we need to return to that.  We need to do what our forefathers did when they encountered a crisis.  They prayed!  They prayed!  They prayed!

PRAYER IS THE ANSWER!


We, His people, are called to repent, pray, and ask for our nation to be healed, so that God will hear us!  Church of Christ, rise up and awaken!

"If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land." - 2 Chronicles 7:14

The bible says, "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God." - Phillipians 4:6

Do you feel defeated?   PRAY!

Do you feel surrounded by the adversary?  PRAY!

Is your marriage under fire?  PRAY!

Is your family under attack?  PRAY!

Are you financially in crisis?  PRAY!

You can't find a job?  PRAY!

Is your health or a family member's health failing?  PRAY!

Are your children wayward?  PRAY!


PRAYER IS THE ANSWER!


As powerful as God is, He will not answer until you pray, and when you do, rest assured, God will hear and He will answer!  As Christians, we are called to pray for each other.  If you have a particular prayer request that you would like me to pray for, please feel free to leave it in the comments section, or EMAIL me privately.  It would be my honor to pray for you.

These next two weeks, we must unite as Christians.  Let's humble ourselves, repent for our sins, seek Him, and ask the Almighty to heal our nation.

Blessings,