Here is another article from our Pastor, John Osburn
It was on September
7, 1774, that our first Continental Congress had assembled in
secrecy, for had The British Government found out what they were
about to do, which was declare Independence for the colonies from
Great Britain, they would have been found guilty of treason, and then
executed. At this first meeting it was requested that they open up
with prayer, and since there were different denominations represented
there, they didn’t know what to do. Samuel Adams said he could
hear the prayer of any man who was “a
gentleman of piety and virtue, who was at the same time a friend to
his country.” So they called an
Episcopalian minister - Jacob Duche, who led them in a few prayers,
and then for the reading of the scriptures, he read from Psalms 35.
A message had just
arrived from Israel Putnam of Connecticut, that the British had fired
upon Boston, and many of its citizens had been killed. It was then
that Mr. Duche read Psalms 35:1-3 which reads: “Plead
my cause,
O, Lord, with them that strive with me: fight against them that fight
against me. Take hold of shield and buckler, and stand up for mine
help. Draw out also the spear, and stop the
way against them that persecute me:
say unto my soul, I am
thy salvation.” Humanly speaking, the odds
were completely against our American forefathers; they were in a
modern day “David and Goliath” situation. To make it comparable,
the colonies fighting Great Britain would be like a high school
baseball team playing The New York Yankees AND WINNING!!! The
scriptures that were read on that September day, 1774, was a cry for
The God of the universe to come to their aid, AND HE DID!
Mr. Duche also read
Psalms 35:4-6,:9-10 which says: “Let them be
confounded and put to shame that seek after my soul: let them be
turned back and brought to confusion that devise my hurt. Let them
be as chaff before the wind: and let the angel of the LORD chase
them.
Let their way be dark and slippery: and let the angel of the LORD
persecute them” (:4-6). “And
my soul shall be joyful in the LORD: it shall rejoice in his
salvation. All my bones shall say, LORD, who is like unto thee,
which deliverest the poor from him that is too strong for him, yea,
the poor and the needy from him that spoileth him?” (:9-10).
There was another
prayer given by Mr. Duche, and soon as he was finished with the
devotion to God with our first Congress, another messenger arrived
with good news: the previous message about Boston being bombarded,
and many of its citizens killed, was not true! It was only a rumor!
To those in that first Congress, that second message they received
gave them assurance that God had heard their prayers, and the reading
of His word.
Psalms 35:4-6 tells
us that our forefathers knew they were in a hopeless situation if God
wasn’t going to help them. They knew that victory would come only
through The Lord Himself (:9-10)! James Madison, after the devotion
was over, wrote to his wife Abigail and said to her: “I must beg
you to read that Psalm…read it to your father”. Silas Dean said
that Mr. Duche’s prayer was so powerful even the Quakers shed some
tears!
We’ve taken for
granted what it took for this country to come into existence. Yes we
had some great men; but they were only great because of how The Lord
used them. Not only was bravery involved, but much time on their
knees in prayer did our forefathers spend, asking God, Who was their
only Hope of victory, to hear their petitions. Do we not need to be
spending more time on our knees in prayer for America today?
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