Hope of Israel Ministries (Ecclesia of YEHOVAH):

Israel and the Power of Prayer

by Brooks Alden

I don't think anyone reading this article can dispute the fact that we have entered very perilous times. It almost seems like all the warnings given us by the Messiah in Matthew 24 are upon us, as the bonds of the Esau Dominion are ever tightening. And it is clear that that many of the leaders of Israel are collaborating with Esau. Still, perhaps this is why mention of leaders are excluded and only the men of Israel are mentioned in Isaiah 41:14, "Fear not thou worm [puny -- weak], Jacob, and ye men of Israel; I will help thee, saith the LORD, and thy redeemer, the Holy One of Israel." But, there is a provision for His Help, 2 Chronicles 7:14, Hosea 5:15 and other Bible passages tell us that we must go down on our knees in prayer:

...if My people who are called by My Name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land. (2 Chronicles 7:14)

I will return again to My place [heaven] till they acknowledge their offense. Then they will seek My face; in their affliction they will diligently seek Me. (Hosea 5:15)

This doesn't mean like the fruitless day of prayer called in America in the early 2000s, when the gods of all the other heathen nations were included, but a prayer to the one true God, the One who said to us in Isaiah 43:10, "....Understand that I am He: before Me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after Me," or 44:8, "....Is there a God beside Me? Yea, there is no God, I know not any." Isaiah 26:21, Ezekiel 7 and Ezekiel 38 are soon to arrive and if there was ever a time to offer fervent prayer to YEHOVAH God, it is now. And the beauty is, He promises to answer. Notice Isaiah 26:21:

For behold, the LORD comes out of His place [heaven] to punish the inhabitants of the land for their iniquity; the land will also disclose her blood, and will no more cover her slain [abortion, etc.].

Be sure to read Ezekiel 7 -- the entire chapter.

There have been enough instances in the past where YEHOVAH God has responded to the sincere prayers of True Israel. But, it was prayer from most of Israel, not just a few. So, if we want a repeat, something will have to happen to bring us to our collective knees. Let's just review the results of a few collective prayers of the past.

To begin with, imagine yourself as a soldier in the midst of countless thousands of other soldiers crowded along a rugged seashore. You have been there for days, although it seems much longer as the cold, the rain and the stress are rapidly taking their toll. You, along with all the other soldiers pinned down on the coast, know full well that the enemy is poised to come against you with all their power and might. Already, their fire and air attacks are devastating and many of your fellow soldiers have fallen around you, adding to your woes.

The situation looks totally grim and for the first time, you sense the possibility of death as the dark, cold, cloudy weather shows no sign of letting up so your rescuers can get through. Then, suddenly, as you pray to God for deliverance, without warning, a miracle. And that's the way it happened at Dunkirk in 1940. For, suddenly, nine days of calm weather came upon the English Channel, a calm unparalleled in the Channel's history. And 338,000 British soldiers were saved by small British craft as they made their way back and forth across the English Channel.

This important event is known as the Miracle of Dunkirk. It was not only one of the greatest military feats of the Second World War but it was one of the great feats in all of history.

Indeed, in all probability, Dunkirk was on his mind when Winston Churchill talked about Britain in 1942 when he so prophetically stated:

I have a feeling sometimes that some Guiding Hand has interfered, I have a feeling that we have a Guardian because we have a great Cause, and we shall have that Guardian so long as we serve that Cause faithfully.

You can almost sense Churchill's booming voice as he continued, "And what a Cause it is!"

Yet, as great a man as Sir Winston was, he sadly did not appear to understand what we, the readers know so well. Britain is the home of the Covenant people, mainly Anglo-Saxons, but a gathering of other tribes as well. Peoples who spread across the globe to America, Australia, Canada, South Africa, New Zealand and many other territories. Countries who were a possession of the Tribe of Joseph. If Churchill was still living, we could say "Most definitely, Sir Winston, the British do have a cause. The Bible tells us this."

Perhaps Sir Winston knew this but couldn't say anything about it for fear of offending. Or maybe he simply didn't know that the Anglo-Saxon countries formed the nation the Messiah referred to as he assailed the Judeans in Jerusalem, as recorded in Mathew 21:43-44 when he said:

Therefore say I unto you, The Kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder.

Even at that time of the Messiah, the Anglo-Saxons were already both in Britain and making their way across Europe. They indeed had an important destiny to fulfill, for it was YEHOVAH God's mandate that they take His Order and Law and establish it in the Israel nations around the world. And YEHOVAH God, on His part, had promised centuries earlier that the peoples of the Birthright tribe of Joseph would not only be plentiful, would not only be much blessed, but they could always count on YEHOVAH's help.

We know this because Jacob-Israel made it abundantly clear when he administered YEHOVAH's Blessing to Joseph as recorded in Genesis 49:22-27. Speaking of Joseph, Jacob-Israel said "But his bow abode in strength, and the arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the mighty God of Jacob; Even by the God of thy father, who shall help thee."

Joseph's descendants have been truly blessed and as promised, after prayer, YEHOVAH God has come to our rescue on numerous occasions, when it has looked totally hopeless. I mentioned Dunkirk, but could just as easily have talked about the 1940 Battle of Britain when the Germans were bombing Britain unmercifully. Yet, despite their overwhelming air strength, the Royal Air Force prevailed over the enemy. Then, the landings at Casablanca and Sicily by the Americans and British were successful because there were periods of calm weather in the midst of mostly prevailing adverse weather conditions. More help from YEHOVAH God.

You know, in times of adversity, the thoughts of man turn to YEHOVAH God. And so naturally, the descendants of the Tribe of Joseph called upon the LORD's help often during those terrible war years. And as promised, YEHOVAH God came to our aid. Every time!

Every Time! This is something we should keep prominently in mind today as our nation falls further into the cesspool of immorality. Where our people are held so tightly in check in financial bondage, where the Law of YEHOVAH God has been totally compromised and where the times fit Isaiah's prophecy, "that good will be seen as evil and evil good."

Still, I think one of the most significant incidences of YEHOVAH God listening to the prayers of His people occurred on June 6, 1944 -- D-day. That evening, in a national broadcast, King George VI called for a day of prayer amongst his subjects. It's interesting to review some of his comments. He said:

Four years ago our nation and Empire stood alone against an overwhelming enemy, with our backs to the wall. Tested as never before in our history, in God's providence we survived that test; the spirit of the people, resolute, dedicated, burned like a bright flame, lit surely from those unseen fires which nothing can quench. Now once more a supreme test has to be faced. This time the challenge is not to fight to survive but to fight to win the final victory to the good cause.

That we may be worthily matched with this new summons of destiny, I desire solemnly, to call my people to prayer and dedication.

Now pay close attention to this next paragraph!

We are not unmindful of our own shortcomings, past and present. We shall ask not that God may do our will, but that we may be enabled to do the Will of God; and we dare to believe that God has used our nation and Empire as an instrument for fulfilling His high purpose.

An instrument for fulfilling His high purpose! Do you suppose that King George was reflecting on the Covenant YEHOVAH God made with Abraham? And particularly, to that part where Abraham was selected to carry YEHOVAH's Order and Law to all parts of the world, a mandate which the Anglo-Saxons went a long way to fulfilling without even knowing who they are. In any event, the invasion of Normandy was the most perilous undertaking of the Second World War but, we must remember that it was only made possible by a totally unexpected break in the weather.

The Germans were caught flatfooted because their meteorologists were predicting a continence of bad weather. On that occasion, YEHOVAH God had come to the aid of Joseph's descendants, as He said he would thirty-seven centuries earlier. Perhaps General Dwight Eisenhower summed it up best. He was the leader of the allied armed forces, and he later commented on his decision to go ahead with the invasion. He said:

If there were nothing else in my life to prove the existence of an Almighty and Merciful God, the events of those next twenty-four hours of the invasion, did it.

Eisenhower wasn't alone in his praise. Many great men of Anglo­Saxondom gave credit to YEHOVAH God during that great war and interestingly enough, most alluded to a purpose that Britain must surely have. Churchill called it a great cause and one that we must serve faithfully. Sir Archibald Sinclair employed similar words: "We have been most miraculously preserved. We have been preserved for some purpose, and we must seek humbly to discover what that purpose is and be faithful to it."

Now it must puzzle you, as it does me, that here we readers are people of modest stature and yet, we have been given a truth which has seemingly eluded brilliant men like Churchill and Sinclair. They instinctively seemed to know that the Empire was forged for some great purpose, but they knew not what for. And yet, we know, from our simple study of the Scriptures. What did Paul say in his message to the Corinthians, as recorded in 1 Corinthians, Chapter 1:26. I guess this will explain it: "For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called."

Still, what is even more puzzling is that these great men of history failed to understand the power of prayer as being a key to continued faithfulness to the great purpose, even if they had no idea of the actual purpose. At least, when we look at history, they and present leaders of Israel countries have failed to understand the lessons of history. Now, King George VI established other examples, for he called for days of prayer on other occasions. And on every occasion, that day of prayer was followed by a great military victory. One would think that the British would have been on their knees every second, the results were that powerful!

Yet there are many other examples of the power of prayer, both before the Second World War and since. I won't delve into Biblical times but how about the Spanish Armada. The Spanish left their ports with a huge superiority of power, but YEHOVAH God equalized that power by using the forces of nature to send many of the vessels to the deep.

Under the direction of Philip II of Spain a great armada was built and launched with the purpose of striking a decisive blow at Protestantism by the conquest of England. Pope Sextus V had assigned England to Philip and blessed his undertaking. This great armada consisted of 129 vessels, 65 of which weighed over 700 tons, with 8,000 sailors and 19,000 Castilian and Portuguese soldiers. Queen Elizabeth had 80 ships, only 30 of which were ships of the line. But the superior naval skill and experience of the English admirals, together with the fact that their vessels were smaller, enabled them to attack the larger ships of the Spanish Fleet far more effectively. The guns of the Spanish Fleet fired over the smaller English vessels and this helped defeat the Spaniards in 1588 A.D. The destruction was completed by violent storms and only 54 out of the original 129 vessels ever made it back to Spanish ports.

Queen Elizabeth I addressed a people that, though facing an invasion, were themselves greatly divided:

My loving people,

We have been persuaded by some that are careful of our safety, to take heed how we commit our selves to armed multitudes, for fear of treachery; but I assure you I do not desire to live to distrust my faithful and loving people. Let tyrants fear, I have always so behaved myself that, under God, I have placed my chiefest strength and safeguard in the loyal hearts and good-will of my subjects; and therefore I am come amongst you, as you see, at this time, not for my recreation and disport, but being resolved, in the midst and heat of the battle, to live and die amongst you all; to lay down for my God, and for my kingdom, and my people, my honour and my blood, even in the dust.

I know I have the body but of a weak and feeble woman; but I have the heart and stomach of a king, and of a king of England too, and think foul scorn that Parma or Spain, or any prince of Europe, should dare to invade the borders of my realm; to which rather than any dishonour shall grow by me, I myself will take up arms, I myself will be your general, judge, and rewarder of every one of your virtues in the field.

I know already, for your forwardness you have deserved rewards and crowns; and We do assure you in the word of prince, they shall be duly paid you. In the mean time, my lieutenant general shall be in my stead, than whom never prince commanded a more noble or worthy subject; not doubting but by your obedience to my general, by your concord in the camp, and your valour in the field, we shall shortly have a famous victory over those enemies of my God, of my kingdom, and of my people.

This greatly cheered and invigorated all of YEHOVAH's people Ephraim.  As America would one day face the "invincible British Army," England was now facing the renowned "Spanish Armada," and the English had been praying throughout the land.

Then consider the severe drought in South Africa in the 1960s. That's not too long ago. It hadn't rained for several years in some parts of the country. The South African Israelites didn't call for a rainmaker to dance around as we might today. They called for a day of prayer, a day which was observed on January 19, 1966.

And astonishing as it may seem, before nightfall on that same day, our Mighty God sent several inches of rain during a one-hour period and the rivers overflowed with their bounty. YEHOVAH God listened to the Israelite prayers, as He would listen today, if we would just return to His glory. After all, He told us so in the well-known passage from 2 Chronicles 7:14. Everybody knows this one:

If my people, which 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.

One of the greatest examples of YEHOVAH's protection of obedient Israelites occurred at the historic Battle of Blood River, South Africa, on December 16, 1838. Think of this! Here was a situation where 460 Afrikaner men, together with their wives and children, faced the overwhelming odds of more than fifteen thousand Zulu warriors. These Israelites could see full well the danger confronting them and they realized that only YEHOVAH God could save them from certain death. So, they turned in prayer to the LORD and they offered their written covenant to Him. A covenant which said:

My brothers and fellow citizens, here we stand in the presence of the Holy God, creator of heaven and earth, to make a vow unto Him, that if His protection shall be with us and give our enemy into our hand so that we might be victorious over him, that this day and date every year shall be spent as a birthday and a day of thanksgiving just as a Sabbath is spent, and that we shall erect a temple to His honour wherever it be pleasingly to Him, and that we shall also instruct our children that they must also share in it, as well as for our generations yet to come. Because the honour of His name shall thereby be glorified and the glory and honour of the victory shall be given Him.

These Afrikaner Israelites knew their fate lay with YEHOVAH God Almighty and they placed themselves entirely in His hands. Well, the rest is history. By the end of the day, several thousand Zulu warriors lay dead and wounded from their numerous attacks on the Afrikaners. Amazingly, not one Afrikaner was lost, nor were even one of their animals killed. Wondrous as it sounds, despite the bloodcurdling screams of the Zulu warriors, and one can only imagine what they would sound like, the Afrikaner's 900 oxen and 500 horses remained totally calm during the battle.

Old Zulu's who took part in the combat as young warriors later recounted that they were not beat by the firing from the Afrikaner camp, but from the shooting from the white cloud which hovered above them all day long. An astonishing story of history. Yet sadly, it was only when the Afrikaners lost control of their country to the money interests that the nation deserted YEHOVAH God. The real South African tragedy is yet to unfold and, when it does, all those young and deceived liberals in the Israelite nations who called for the overthrow of our brethren in that country will immediately recognize their folly.

Prayer That Saved America

Answered prayer has a long history in America. Colonists declared Days of Prayer during droughts, Indian attacks and threats from other nations. Edward Winslow’s record of the Pilgrims’ experiences, reprinted in Alexander Young’s Chronicles of the Pilgrims (Boston, 1841), stated: “Drought and the like considerations moved not only every good man privately to enter into examination with his own estate between God and his conscience, and so to humiliation before Him, but also to humble ourselves together before the LORD by Fasting and Prayer.”

A notable Day of Prayer was in 1746, when French Admiral d’Anville sailed for New England, commanding the most powerful fleet of the time -- 70 ships with 13,000 troops. He intended to recapture Louisburg, Nova Scotia, and destroy from Boston to New York, all the way to Georgia. Massachusetts Governor William Shirley declared a Day of Prayer and Fasting, October 16, 1746, to pray for deliverance.

In Boston’s Old South Meeting House, Rev. Thomas Prince prayed “Send Thy tempest, LORD, upon the water...scatter the ships of our tormentors!” Historian Catherine Drinker Bowen related that as he finished praying, the sky darkened, winds shrieked and church bells rang “a wild, uneven sound...though no man was in the steeple.”

A hurricane subsequently sank and scattered the entire French fleet. With 4,000 sick and 2,000 dead, including Admiral d’Anville, French Vice-Admiral d’Estournelle threw himself on his sword. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow wrote in his Ballad of the French Fleet:

Admiral d’Anville had sworn by cross and crown, to ravage with fire and steel our helpless Boston Town...From mouth to mouth spread tidings of dismay, I stood in the Old South saying humbly: ‘Let us pray!’...Like a potter’s vessel broke, the great ships of the line, were carried away as smoke or sank in the brine.

As raids from France and Spain increased, Benjamin Franklin proposed a General Fast, which was approved by Pennsylvania’s President and Council, and published in the Pennsylvania Gazette, December 12, 1747:

We have...thought fit...to appoint...a Day of Fasting & Prayer, exhorting all, both Ministers & People...to join with one accord in the most humble & fervent supplications that Almighty God would mercifully interpose and still the rage of war among the nations & put a stop to the effusion of Christian blood.

In 1755, 23-year-old George Washington was a British Colonel fighting against the French, and their Native American allies, for control over colonial territory. On July 9th, the British marched towards present day Pittsburgh and were attacked in a ravine. 900 troops were killed, but Washington’s prayers to YEHOVAH God for protection didn’t go unheard.

“Washington is riding back and forth delivering orders. Every other officer on horseback is shot!” exclaimed William J. Federer. And Washington, later, is writing from Fort Cumberland to his brother, John Augustine Washington, and he says, "By the all powerful hand of Providence, I have been protected beyond all human expectation, for I had two horses shot out from under me, four bullet holes through my coat, yet escaped unhurt.”

On May 24, 1774, Thomas Jefferson drafted a Resolution for a Day of Fasting, Humiliation and Prayer to be observed as the British blockaded Boston’s Harbor. Robert Carter Nicholas, Treasurer, introduced the Resolution in the Virginia House of Burgesses, and, with support of Patrick Henry, Richard Henry Lee and George Mason, it passed unanimously: 

This House, being deeply impressed with apprehension of the great dangers, to be derived to British America, from the hostile invasion of the City of Boston, in our sister Colony of Massachusetts...deem it highly necessary that the said first day of June be set apart, by the members of this House as a Day of Fasting, Humiliation and Prayer, devoutly to implore the Divine interposition, for averting the heavy calamity which threatens destruction to our civil rights...Ordered, therefore that the Members of this House do attend...with the Speaker, and the Mace, to the Church in this City, for the purposes aforesaid; and that the Reverend Mr. Price be appointed to read prayers, and the Reverend Mr. Gwatkin, to preach a sermon.

George Washington wrote in his diary, June 1, 1774: “Went to church, fasted all day.” Virginia’s Royal Governor, Lord Dunmore, interpreted this Resolution as a veiled protest against King George III, and dissolved the House of Burgesses, resulting in legislators meeting in Raleigh Tavern where they conspired to form the first Continental Congress. YEHOVAH God was once again helping to establish His people Israel in fulfillment of His promises.

On April 15, 1775, just four days before the Battle of Lexington, the Massachusetts Provincial Congress, led by John Hancock, declared: 

In circumstances dark as these, it becomes us, as men and Christians, to reflect that, whilst every prudent measure should be taken to ward off the impending judgments...the 11th of May next be set apart as a Day of Public Humiliation, Fasting and Prayer...to confess the sins...to implore the Forgiveness of all our Transgression.

On April 19, 1775, in a Proclamation of a Day of Fasting and Prayer, Connecticut Governor Jonathan Trumbull beseeched that: “God would graciously pour out His Holy Spirit on us to bring us to a thorough repentance and effectual reformation that our iniquities may not be our ruin; that He would restore, preserve and secure the liberties of this and all the other British American colonies, and make the land a mountain of Holiness, and habitation of righteousness forever.”

The hand of YEHOVAH God was on George Washington many times during the War of Independence. Every year, during the Revolution, the Continental Congress declared "Days of Fasting and Prayer," and so Washington would order his troops to observe the "Days of Fasting and Prayer."

On August 1776 Washington's prayers and faith in YEHOVAH God’s protection were tested during the largest battle of the revolution, the Battle of Brooklyn Heights. An onlooker explained:

Washington had all of his men dug in facing the water, thinking the British are going to attack from the sea. Well, August 1776, Washington is attacked from behind! 3,000 of his men get killed, only about 300 of the British. And the day passes, and Washington has his 8,000 men pinned up against the water. The sun goes down, and what does he do? He can’t retreat! So he gets every boat he can find and they ferry all night long across the East River to Manhattan Island. The next morning, the sun begins to come up, half his men are still on duty, half his men are strung out. And his Chief of Intelligence, Major Ben Tallmadge, says, ‘At this point, a very providential occurrence, a fog came off the river and settled over both encampments.’ He said, ‘You could scarcely discern a man at six yards distance.’ He said, ‘The fog remained until noon.’ So here Washington was on the last boat that left. When the fog lifted, the British charged up the hill. Nobody’s there! This was the last chance the British had to capture the entire American army at one fell swoop.

From December 19, 1777 to June 19, 1778 some most unusual events occurred. Author Anna Reed relates one of the most vivid stories of General Washington’s spiritual life that occurred when the General and his troops were in winter quarters in Valley Forge, not far from Philadelphia. Various artists have attempted to capture this scene with their brushes. After describing in some detail the hardships under which the American troops lived at Valley Forge, Reed proceeded to relate the following anecdote of General Washington’s prayer life. She begins with a quote from a letter the General was writing to Patrick Henry concerning the hardships of the soldiers. General Washington was surprised that the soldiers did not complain about the conditions at Valley Forge. In describing their condition in the hut-camp, he said [in his letter to Patrick Henry, then governor of Virginia]:

For some days there has been little less than a famine in the camp; but, naked and starving as they are, I cannot enough admire the incomparable fidelity of the soldiers, that they have not before this time been excited to a general mutiny or dispersion.

The inhabitants of the surrounding countryside, knowing this sad state of the army, were very uneasy; one of them left his home one day and, as he was passing by the edge of a wood near the hut-camp, he heard low sounds of a voice. He stopped to listen, and looking between the trunks of the large trees he saw General Washington engaged in prayer. He passed quietly on, that he might not disturb him; and, on returning home, told this family he knew the Americans would succeed, for their leader did not trust in his own strength, but sought aid from YEHOVAH God, who promised in his word, “Call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me.”

A female, who lived at the Valley Forge when the army was encamped there, told a friend who visited her soon after they left it, that she had discovered that it was the habit of Washington to retire to a short distance from the camp to worship YEHOVAH God in prayer. Many, who in “the day of prosperity” have forgotten or neglected to worship their Creator, will earnestly call upon him in ”the day of trouble,” when they feel that His power only can deliver them; but it was not the way that Washington conducted himself; it was his constant custom as one of his nephews has related:

One morning, at daybreak, an officer came to the general’s quarters with dispatches. As such communications usually passed through my hands, I took the papers from the messenger and directed my steps towards the general’s room. Walking along the passage which led to his door, I heard a voice within. I paused, and distinctly recognized the voice of the general. Listening for a moment, when all was silent around, I found that he was earnestly engaged in prayer. I knew this to be his habit, and therefore retired, with the papers in my hand, till such time as I supposed he had finished the exercise, when I returned, knocked at his door, and was admitted.

Therefore, in obedience to YEHOVAH God whom he called ”the Divine Author of our blessed religion,” Washington, in the retirement of his room, prayed to his “Father who seeth in secret,” and truly his “Father, who seeth in secret,” did "reward him openly."

In 1778, during the unusually bitter months at Valley Forge, rations were scarce, and so were blankets. Many of the men died from exposure. General George Washington often would be seen praying about the situation. One officer wrote, "On every practicable occasion, he sought God's blessing, and when no chaplain was present, he often called his staff officers around him and lifted his heart and voice in prayer." One morning the troops noticed something odd about the Schuylkill River. There was a disturbance in the water, as if it was boiling. When they investigated, they found thousands of shad swimming upstream. This was far too early in the season for these fish to be migrating, but the soldiers didn't stop to puzzle over the situation. They waded in with pitchforks and shovels and flung onto the banks all the fish they could. Miraculously, the army had all the food it needed, with some salted away for future meals.

That, along with others, was a supernatural intervention of YEHOVAH God. If Washington would have lost the Revolutionary War, he would have been hung, all the founding fathers would have been hung, they would have been traitors, and we would be part of the British Empire instead of fulfilling YEHOVAH's plan for Joseph's son Manasseh. And the movement across the world for what’s called "Popular Self-Government," people ruling themselves, would have never taken place.

On August 12, 1861, after the Union lost the Battle of Bull Run, President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed: 

It is fit...to acknowledge and revere the Supreme Government of God; to bow in humble submission to His chastisement; to confess and deplore their sins and transgressions in the full conviction that the fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom...Therefore I, Abraham Lincoln...do appoint the last Thursday in September next as a Day of Humiliation, Prayer and Fasting for all the people of the nation.

On March 30, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed another National Day of Humiliation, Fasting and Prayer: 

The awful calamity of civil war...may be but a punishment inflicted upon us for our presumptuous sins to the needful end of our national reformation as a whole people...We have forgotten God...We have vainly imagined, in the deceitfulness of our hearts, that all these blessings were produced by some superior wisdom and virtue of our own. Intoxicated with unbroken success, we have become...too proud to pray to the God that made us! It behooves us then to humble ourselves before the offended Power, to confess our national sins.

During World War II, Franklin D. Roosevelt prayed during the D-Day invasion of Normandy, June 6, 1944: “Almighty God, our sons, pride of our nation, this day have set upon a mighty endeavor, a struggle to preserve our Republic, our Religion and our Civilization, and to set free a suffering humanity...Help us, Almighty God, to rededicate ourselves in renewed faith in Thee in this hour of great sacrifice.”

Early December 1944, General George Patton’s Third Army was poised for the breakthrough across the Rhine River, a formidable natural obstacle to the invasion of Germany by the western allies. The date for the attack was set for December 19 but foul weather threatened to postpone the attack. At 11 a.m. on the morning of December 8, Patton phoned the Head Chaplain of the Third Army, James H. O’Neill, a Catholic priest. “This is General Patton; do you have a good prayer for weather? We must do something about those rains if we are to win the war.”

The taciturn O’Neill told Patton that he would research the topic and report back to him within an hour. After hanging up the receiver, O’Neill looked out at the immoderate rains, which had plagued the Third Army’s operations for the past three months. As he searched through his prayer books, he could find no formal prayers pertaining to weather so he composed an original prayer, which he typed on a note card:

Almighty and most merciful Father, we humbly beseech Thee, of Thy great goodness, to restrain these immoderate rains with which we have had to contend. Grant us fair weather for Battle. Graciously hearken to us as soldiers who call upon Thee that, armed with Thy power, we may advance from victory to victory, and crush the oppression and wickedness of our enemies and establish Thy justice among men and nations.

O’Neill threw on his trench coat and crossed the quadrangle of the old French military barracks then serving as the Third Army’s headquarters and reported to Patton’s office. Patton read the prayer, returned it to O’Neill and directed him to “have 250,000 copies printed and see to it that every man in the Third Army gets one.”

The often profane and tempestuous general and the humble, mild-mannered priest then engaged in a lengthy discussion of the importance of prayer. “Chaplain, how much praying is being done in the Third Army?” inquired the general. “Does the general mean by chaplains, or by the men?” asked O’Neill. “By everybody,” Patton replied. “I am afraid to admit it, but I do not believe that much praying is going on,” responded O’Neill. “When there is fighting, everyone prays, but now with this constant rain -- when things are quiet, dangerously quiet, men just sit and wait for things to happen. Prayer out here is difficult. Both chaplains and men are removed from a special building with a steeple. Prayer to most of them is a formal, ritualized affair, involving special posture and a liturgical setting. I do not believe that much praying is being done.”

“Chaplain, I am a strong believer in Prayer,” said Patton. “There are three ways that men get what they want; by planning, by working, and by Praying. Any great military operation takes careful planning, or thinking. Then you must have well-trained troops to carry it out: that’s working. But between the plan and the operation there is always an unknown. That unknown spells defeat or victory, success or failure. It is the reaction of the actors to the ordeal when it actually comes. Some people call that getting the breaks; I call it God. God has His part, or margin in everything. That’s where prayer comes in.”

Patton said that men should pray no matter where they were, in church or out of it, that if they did not pray, sooner or later they would “crack up.” “We must ask God to stop these rains. These rains are that margin that hold defeat or victory. If we all pray…it will be like plugging in on a current whose source is in Heaven. I believe that prayer completes that circuit. It is power,” said Patton.

The Prayer Card reached the troops between December 12 and 14.

Two days later the Americans armies in Europe would find themselves engaged in the Battle of the Bulge which remains the greatest battle ever fought by American forces. The outcome of that battle, and possibly of the entire Allied war effort in Europe, would hinge on the weather. As Patton’s adjutant, Paul Harkins would later write:

Whether it was the help of the Divine guidance asked for in the prayer or just the normal course of human events, we never knew; at any rate, on the twenty-third, the day after the prayer was issued, the weather cleared and remained perfect for about six days. Enough to allow the Allies to break the backbone of the Von Runstedt offensive and turn a temporary setback into a crushing defeat for the enemy.

Later, when Chaplain O’Neill walked into Patton’s office the general rose, came from behind his desk with hand outstretched, and said, “Chaplain, you’re the most popular man in this Headquarters. You sure stand in good with the LORD and the soldiers.” The general then pinned a Bronze Star Medal on Chaplain O’Neill! Clearly, YEHOVAH God had not deserted His people Israel!

Though belied by his rough language, peppered generously with four-letter expletives, Patton was an extremely religious man. He prayed in earnest every morning, night, and anytime that he felt he needed divine assistance in his performance or making decisions. For a time, Beatrice his wife, though also receiving a Christian upbringing, really didn't understand George's constant praying. Once, before a polo match, she found Patton in the bedroom, polo mallet and helmet laying on the bed, on his knees praying. When he stood up, she asked him if he was praying for victory. Patton exclaimed, "Hell no, I'm praying that I do my best." Knowing that Patton felt that performing your best was always the most important thing, she then understood.

To conclude, however, Psalm 40:5 is wisdom to be reflected upon:

"Many, O LORD my God, are thy wonderful works which thou hast done, and thy thoughts which are to us-ward: They cannot be reckoned up in order unto thee: If I would declare and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered."

-- Edited by John D. Keyser.

Hope of Israel Ministries -- Correcting the Errors of Modern "Christianity"!

Hope of Israel Ministries P.O. Box 853 Azusa, CA 91702, U.S.A. www.hope-of-israel.org

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