The interior journal., 1918-01-25
REV. BILLY SUNDAYS PRAYER

The following prayer was deliver.
ed by Evangelist Billy Sunday in the
House Of Representatives at Wash.
ington on January 10th. " is such a
departure from the "cut and dried
prayer offered by the chaplains that
il makes exceptionally good reading
Almighty God, our Heavenly Faith
er, we thank Thee and rejoice that
through faith in Thee and Thy word
this Government was built upon that
foundation. We thank Thee that the
compact signed in the cabin of the
Mayflower by our ancestors was for
democracy. liberty, Freedom. and the
right to worship Thee according to
the dictates of our own conscience.
We thank Thee that as Nation we
have the courage TO proclaim, to the
world our continued belief in Thee
by stamping on our coins the inscrip-
ton "In God we trust" We thank
Thee that we are Americans and live
beneath the protecting folds of the
Stars and Stripes. We thank Thee
that Thou canst look over the battle
ments Of glory on our land and sec
that there is not one stain on any
star or stripe in Old Glory. We thank
Thee for our harrv homes. We thank
Thee for our wives and little ones.
We thank Thee for the fruitful trees
and bountiful harvests We thark
Thee that rs a Nation we have never
zone to bed hungry or scrapcd the
bottom Of our -four barrel. and we
pray Thy continued mercy and bless
irg uron us We pray Thee that
Thou wilt forgive our transgressions
and blot out all our iniouities.
Thou knowest, O Lord, that we
are in a lfe-and-death struggle with
one of the most Infamous, vile,
greedy. avaricious, bloodthirsty. SEN
sual, and vicious nations that has
ever disgraced the pages of history.
Thou knowest that Germany has
drawn from the eyes of mankind
enough tears to make another sea:
that she has drawn blood enough to
redden every wave upon that sea
that she has drawn enough groans
and shrieks from the hearts of men,
women and children to make another
mountain. We pray Thee that Thou
wilt make bare Thy mighty arm and |
beat back that great pack of hungry, |
wolfish Huns, whose fangs drip with
blood and gore. We pray Thee that
the stars in their courses and the
winds and waves may fight against
them.
We pray Thee that Thou wilt bless
our beloved President and give him
strength of mind and body and cour-
age of heart for his arduous duties
in these sorrow-laden, staggering
lays. We pray Thee to bless the Sec
-etary of State, the Secretary of
War, and the Secretary of the Navy;
md bless, we pray Thee. the Naval
Strategy Board. Bless, we pray Thee, 1
ord, the generals at the head of our
army. Bless the boys across the sea,
somewhere in France" and bless
hose protecting our transports, load
d to the waters edge with men and
rovisions. Bless our boys at home
yho are in the cantonments. Bless, I
,e pray Thee, the Senate and House
f Representatives and give them
,isdom and strength, for they seem
o have come into the kingdom for
uch a time as this. And Lord, may
very man, woman and child, from
daine to California and from Min
lesota to Louisiana, stand up to the
asst ditch and be glad and willing to
uffer and endure until final victory
hall come. Bless our allies, and may
,ictory be ours. And in Thy own
ime and in Thy own way we pray
Thee that Thou wilt release the
dove of peace until
Thou shalt dispel the storm clouds
hat hang lowering over this sim
.ursed, blood-soaked, and sorrowing
world; and when it is all over we will