God Governs the Affairs of Men

I was reading recently about our Constitutional Convention, held in Philadelphia, in May of 1787. At that time there was quite a bit of arguing and contention, with states divided instead of united. George Washington and Benjamin Franklin both attended it. During this disruptive time, they were deadlocked and some of the New York delegation went home in disgust, and others were preparing to leave as well. But an elder statesman, Benjamin Franklin, rose to his feet, and he calmly said, “At the beginning of the war, we prayed for divine protection. Our prayers were answered. I have lived a long time. The longer I live, the more I see that God governs in the affairs of man. If a sparrow cannot fall without His notice, can an empire rise without His aid?” Franklin wiped his glasses and continued talking. “The Bible assures us that unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it. We can only build our house in America with His help. I therefore move that from now on, we begin each session in prayer, asking for assistance and blessing from Heaven.” It was said that that speech marked the turning point for the convention. After that, and when this prayer was adopted, the states began to come together; and they wrote our Constitution, which is an incredibly God-inspired document.

So, we know today that there are many in our government who do believe in the power of prayer, and we of course do, as well. We can uphold them and uphold our nation and every nation with this power of prayer, to know that God is governing and that all will listen to His voice and not be led astray, but will be one nation under God.

I am so grateful to be learning this, and to live in a nation where we can worship freely, and a nation in which Mary Baker Eddy was able to discover Christian Science. Let our prayers go out to bless all people of all nations with this Truth.