The 1969 Protestant Inaugural Prayers

Our Father and our God, thou hast said, “Blessed is that nation whose God is the Lord.” We recognize on this historic occasion that we are a nation under God. We thank thee for this torch of faith handed to us by our forefathers. May we never let it be extinguished. Thou alone hast given us our prosperity, our freedom, and our power. This faith in God is our heritage and our foundation!

Thou hast warned us in the Scriptures, “If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do?” As George Washington reminded us in his farewell address, morality and faith are the pillars of our society. We confess these pillars are being eroded in an increasingly materialistic and permissive society. The whole world is watching to see if the faith of our fathers will stand the trials and tests of the hour. Too long we have neglected thy word and ignored thy laws. Too long we have tried to solve our problems without reference to thee. Too long we have tried to live by bread alone. We have sown to the wind and are now reaping a whirlwind of crime, division, and rebellion.

And now with the wages of our sins staring us in the face, we remember thy words, “If people, who are called by my Name shall humble themselves, and pray and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.”

Help us this day to turn from our sins and to turn by simple faith to the One who said, “Ye must be born again.”

So we pray, O God, as we enter a new era, that we as a nation may experience a moral and spiritual restoration.

Thou hast said, “Promotion comes not from the east nor from the west, but from thee.” We acknowledge thy divine help in the selection of our leadership each four years. We recognize, O Lord, that in thy sovereignty thou has permitted Richard Nixon to lead us at this momentous hour of history.

We beseech thee that he will have thy divine guidance and power daily. Help him as thou didst help thy servants of old. Our Father, we know his burdens and responsibilities will be overwhelming. He will hold in his hands the destiny of more people than any man in history. O God, our new President needs thee as no man ever needed thee in leading a people! There will be times when he will be overwhelmed by the problems at home and abroad that have been building up to the breaking point for many years. Protect him from physical danger. And in the lonely moments of decision grant him an uncompromising courage to do what is morally right. Give him a cool head and a warm heart. Give him a compassion for those in physical, moral, and spiritual need. We pray that thou wilt so guide Richard Nixon in handling the affairs of state that the whole world will marvel and glorify thee.

O God, we consecrate Richard Milhous Nixon to the Presidency of these United States with the assurance that from this hour on, as he and his family move into the White House, they will have the presence and the power of thy Son, who said, “I will never leave thee nor forsake thee.”

What we pray for President Nixon we pray for Vice-President Agnew and members of the Cabinet. May they be given a wisdom and a courage that is beyond their own. Bless them as a team to lead America to the dawning of a new day with renewed trust in God that will lead to peace, justice, and prosperity.

We pray this humbly in the name of the Prince of Peace, who shed his blood on the Cross that men might have eternal life. Amen.

Evangelist

Non nobis Domine, non nobis, sed tuo Nomine da gloriam. Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but unto thy name we give the glory.

Our Father which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in Heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the Kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever and ever.

Almighty God, unto whom all hearts are open, all desires known, and from whom no secrets are hid: Cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of thy Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly love thee, and worthily magnify thy Name.

In this festive hour when the sun in her iridescent splendor will soon begin to take her daily trek, finally coming to rest in the bosom of the western horizon; while nature by pantomime and silent eloquence proclaims thy majesty, dominion, and power in heaven and earth; in this grandiloquent silence we lift our voices to thee in praise and adoration.

In these troubled times of global turmoil and unrest, our Father, we turn to thee. Grant to our nation a clear vision of her highest good, and to our leaders a clear judgment as to how that good may be attained.

And at this time we would humbly beseech thee to bestow a special blessing upon our beloved President Richard Milhous Nixon and his family.

We thank thee for his exemplary life, for his unswerving allegiance, fidelity, and devotion to America and the ideals for which she stands—freedom, justice, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

We thank thee for his unstinted services to this nation in yesteryears. Be his bastion of strength and comfort as he assumes the awesome and herculean responsibilities of the Presidency and the concomitant responsibilities as the leader of the free nations.

Endow him with spiritual wisdom to make the right decisions that may well determine the fate of mankind and of civilization itself.

God of grace and God of glory, on thy servants pour thy power. Give us wisdom, give us courage for the facing of this hour. Lord God of hosts, be with us yet, lest we forget. And this we pray in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.

—THE RT. REV. CHARLES EWBANK TUCKER

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