June 1, 2007

• I recently discovered this, the prayer of George Washington.

  George Washington’s Prayer for the United States of America

  Almighty GOD; we make our earnest prayer that Thou wilt keep the
  United States in Thy holy protection, that thou wilt incline the hearts
  of the citizens to cultivate a spirit of subordination and obedience to
  government; and entertain a brotherly affection and love for one
  another and for their fellow citizens of the United States of America
  at large. And finally that Thou wilt most graciously be pleased to
  dispose us all to do justice, to love mercy 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 whose example in these things we can never hope to be a happy
  nation. Grant our supplication, we beseech thee, through Jesus Christ
  Our Lord. Amen

  —George Washington, April 30th, 1789

  I received a very interesting history lesson from a forward, and as I like to do with forwards I tend to go online and use a search engine to piece together the various versions of it. I was able to dissect the forward into several original parts (people tend to like to edit them and add their own opinions to them- the one I got had some enthusiastic and somewhat turn-off’ish phrases added in, like “The most powerful nation in the world”… ahem, that’s opinion, but the rest is fact, and if you add one opinion it makes the rest seem like opinion). Please take a moment to read this history below. It is all a collection of true facts about the capital of the United States with some light commentary. It includes the prayer above, at the end.

  Our Nation’s Dedication
  

  In Washington D.C. one is not
  allowed to build a building of greater height than the Washington Monument.

  Of the aluminum cap, atop the Washington Monument in Washington, DC, are
  displayed two words: Laus Deo. No one can see these words. In fact, most
  visitors to the monument are totally unaware they are even there and for
  that matter, probably couldn’t care less.

  But these words have been there for many years; they are 555
  feet, 5.125 inches high, perched top the monument, facing skyward to the
  Father of our nation, overlooking the 69 square miles which comprise the
  District of Columbia, capital of the United States of America. The highest
  point in the capital city of our country, one of the great world powers and
  surely a world leader.

  So, what do those two words, in Latin, composed of just four syllables and
  only seven letters, possibly mean? Very simply, they say “Praise be to
  God!”

  Though construction of this giant obelisk began in 1848, when James Polk was
  President of the United States, it was not until 1888 that the monument was
  inaugurated and opened to the public. It took twenty five years to
  finally cap the memorial with a tribute to the Father of our nation, Laus
  Deo .Praise be to God!”

  From atop this magnificent granite and marble structure, visitors may take
  in the beautiful panoramic view of the city with its division into four
  major segments. From that vantage point, one can also easily see the
  original plan of the designer, Pierre Charles l’Enfant…a perfect cross
  imposed upon the landscape, with the White House to the north. The
  Jefferson Memorial is to the south, the Capitol to the east and the Lincoln
  Memorial to the west.

  A cross you ask? Why a cross? What about separation of church and state?
  Yes, a cross; separation of church and state was not, is not, in the
  Constitution. So, read on. How interesting and, no doubt, intended to
  carry a profound meaning for those who bother to notice.
  
  
  
  

  Within the monument
  itself are 898 steps and 50 landings. As one climbs the steps and pauses at the
  landings the memorial stones share a message. 
  On the 12th Landing is a prayer offered by the City of Baltimore; on the
  20th is a memorial presented by some Chinese Christians; on the 24th a
  presentation made by Sunday School children from New York and Philadelphia
  quoting Proverbs 10:7, Luke 18:16 and Proverbs 22:6.  Praise be to God!

  When the cornerstone of the Washington Monument was laid on July 4th, 1848
  deposited within it were many items including the Holy Bible presented by
  the Bible Society. Praise be to God! Such was the discipline, the moral
  direction, and the spiritual mood given by the founder and first President
  of our unique democracy ..”One Nation, Under God.”

   

  This is the historically documented
  recording of George Washington’s prayer for America, adapted from his circular
  letter to the Governors of the United States.

   

  Almighty GOD; we make our earnest prayer that
  Thou wilt keep the United States in Thy holy protection, that thou wilt incline
  the hearts of the citizens to cultivate a spirit of subordination and obedience
  to government; and entertain a brotherly affection and love for one another and
  for their fellow citizens of the United States of America at large. And finally
  that Thou wilt most graciously be pleased to dispose us all to do justice, to
  love mercy 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 whose example in these things we can never hope
  to be a happy nation. Grant our supplication, we beseech thee, through Jesus
  Christ Our Lord. Amen

  —George Washington, April 30th, 1789

  When one stops to observe the inscriptions found in public places all over
  our nation’s capitol, he or she will easily find the signature of God, as it
  is unmistakably inscribed everywhere you look. You may forget the width and
  height of “Laus Deo”, its location, or the architects but no one who
  reads
  this will be able to forget its meaning, or these words: “Unless the Lord
  builds the house its builders labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over
  the city, the watchmen stand guard in vain.” (Psalm 127: 1)

  Our nation has risen to be a leading world power- some would say the world power, though that is opinion… it is not opinion that the United States has influence in every country of the world in some form or fashion. We have risen far and survived much- all the time with Laus Deo standing atop our capital city.

  • 10:06 am
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