Wisdom from America's Founding Fathers

God founded America. It has grown to be a wonderful place of freedom and prosperity. Truly the blessing of the Lord has been on the United States of America. Yet we must remember that God established this country for a reason. To remain free and under the blessings of God we must remember Him and continue to seek Him concerning the purpose for America.

  One of America's founding fathers, Benjamin Franklin, said at the constitutional convention in 1787:

"We have been assured, Sir, in the sacred writings, that "except the Lord build the House they labour in vain that build it." I firmly believe this; and I also believe that without his concurring aid we shall succeed in this political building no better, than the Builders of Babel:"1

Our founding fathers realized that God had a purpose for America from the beginning. However, they were not so arrogant as to think that they could even begin to build the country without His "concurring aid." They prayed and sought the Lord for divine guidance and God answered. We still need the concurring aid of the Lord today. Not that He concurs with our plans, but that we concur with His. If we try to build, or maintain, this country without the Lord our efforts are in vain. We will be no better than the builders of Babel. We must not mistake His past blessing for current approval, we need to seek Him daily.

Father God, I pray that America seeks You wholeheartedly. I pray we remember You and Your purpose for this country. I pray we don't assume we have Your blessing, but we continue to look to You for guidance and direction and that we are open to Your correction and to the direction You want us to go. I pray that we fulfill the purpose for which You've established this country, even more so than we ever have in the past. I pray we gain a deeper, more accurate understanding of Your will for our nation. Forgive us for arrogance in every form. We look to the Lord Jesus Christ for righteousness, knowing we do not have it in ourselves without Him.

Ezekiel 26-28, Psalm 127:1; Genesis 11, Deuteronomy 8

1 Source: http://avalon.law.yale.edu/18th_century/debates_628.asp
The Debates in the Federal Convention of 1787, Reported by James Madison, a delegate from the state of Virginia. Ed. by Gaillard Hund and James Brown Scott, Oxford University Press, 1920.

Re-prayer October 28, 2011