Tom Barnard

“So God created man in his own image…male and female he created them.

God blessed them and said to them, ‘Be fruitful and increase in number;

fill the earth and subdue it.’”

Genesis 1:27, 28

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal,

that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights,

that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness….”

The Declaration of Independence of the Thirteen Colonies

In Congress, July 4, 1776

“Indisputable truth…inviolable rights…A sovereign people.”

Richard C. Halverson

Chaplain, United States Senate

With these powerful words, Richard Halverson began his devotional thoughts to the Senate on January 27, 1983. He went on to say,

“The framers of the Declaration of Independence had their priorities straight. They knew the foundation on which they built our form of government. The order: (1) God, the ultimate Authority; (2) Man, accountable to God, His partner in governing the world, and in charge of his environment. Remove man’s accountability to God, and the door is opened to anarchy, issuing in tyranny—man, a victim of his environment.”

And then he prayed:

“Almighty God of our fathers and mothers…awaken us to the simple fact that if we try to govern without God, we are a Godless government. May we remember that trust in God was not incidental to our Founding Fathers, but that it was fundamental to their vision for our Republic. Grant us the wisdom to understand that to govern without God is to condemn our land to a Godless destiny. Amen.”

And now, I invite you to join me in praying this prayer:

Heavenly Father, remind me of the price paid for my freedom by those who lived before me. Remind me of the heritage—the legacy—I have received from those who laid the foundation for our nation. Forgive me for taking any of this for granted. And give me the courage to stand with them in demanding accountability to Almighty God for the decisions our national leaders make that affect everyone who calls America “home.” Amen. 

Quotations appearing in this devotional are from No Greater Power: Perspective for Days of Pressure,

by Richard E. Halverson. Portland, Oregon: Multnomah Press, 1986, p. 31 and 32.