Independence Day Bonus Page: Laboring in Vain?
Theme of the Week: Is Your Church User-Friendly?
Saturday, July 4, 2009
 1 of 1
Key Bible Verse: Unless the LORD builds a house, the work of the builders is wasted (Psalm 127:1).
At the Constitutional Convention of the not-so-united American states convened in Philadelphia in May 1787, the aged Benjamin Franklin made the following appeal to his squabbling fellow delegates:
"In the beginning of the contest with Great Britain, when we were sensible of danger we had daily prayer in the room for divine protection. Our prayers, sir, were heard, and they were graciously answered. All of us who were engaged in the struggle must have observed
frequent instances of a superintending Providence in our favor. … And have we now forgotten that powerful Friend? Or do we imagine that we no longer need his assistance? …
"The longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth—that God governs in the affairs of men. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without his notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without his aid? We have been assured, sir, in the sacred writings that 'except the Lord build they labor in vain that build it.' …
"I therefore beg leave to move that henceforth prayers imploring the assistance of Heaven, and its blessings on our deliberations, be held in this assembly every morning before we proceed to business."
My Response: How do leaders grappling with economic crises today compare with colonial leaders crafting a constitution?
Copyright © 2009 by the author or Christianity Today International/Men of Integrity magazine.
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Keep us, Lord, from erecting artificial barriers to joining your family.
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