Ronald Reagan Tribute
President Ronald Reagan - Man of Faith
Someone asked me whether I was aware of all the people out there who were praying for the President. And I had to say, "Yes, I am. I've felt it. I believe in intercessionary prayer."
But I couldn't help it but to say to that questioner that after that sometimes when he was praying he got a busy signal that it was just me in there ahead of him.
I think I understand how Abraham Lincoln felt when he said 'I have been driven many times to my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I had nowhere else to go.'
Now I realize that it's fashionable in some circles to believe that no one in government should encourage others to read the Bible. That we're told that we would violate the Constitutional separation of Church and State that was established by the Founding Fathers in the First Amendment. The First Amendment was not written to protect people and their laws from religious values; it was written to protect those values from government tyranny.
I've said that we must be cautious in claiming God is on our side. I think the real question we must answer is 'are we on His side'.
No matter where we live, we have a promise that can make all the difference, a promise from Jesus to soothe our sorrows, heal our hearts, and drive away our fears. He promised there will never be a dark night that does not end. Our weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning. He promised if our hearts are true, His love will be as sure as sunlight. And, by dying for us, Jesus showed how far our love should be ready to go: all the way. ‘For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.’
Americans yearn to explore life's deepest truths. And to save their entertainment, and their idea of entertainment is sex, and violence and crime, is an insult to their goodness and intelligence. We are people who believe that love can triumph over hate, creativity over destruction, and hope over despair. And that's why so many millions hunger for God's good news. I've always believed that we were...each of us have been put here for a reason and that there is a plan, somehow divine plan for all of us; and know now that whatever days are left to me belong to Him. I honestly believe that this blessed land was set apart in a very special way.
Are for theirs, came not for gold, but mainly in search for God and freedom to worship in their own way. We've been afraid people living under law with faith in our maker of our future. Except before that the most supplying picture in American history is of George Washington on his knees in a snow at Valley Forge. That image personifies the people that know that it is not enough to depend on our own courage and goodness. We must also seek help of God, our Father and preserver. We will never find every answer, solve every problem, and heal every wound, but we can do a lot if we walk together down that one path that we know provides real hope. The morality and values such hope implies are deeply embedded in our national character. Our country embraces those principles by design and we have bended them at our peril.
My experience in this office I hold has only deepened the belief that I've held for for many years. Within the cover of that single book, all the answers to all the problems that faces today if we only read and believe.
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