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.
Lead them straight and true; give strength to their arms, stoutness to their
hearts, steadfastness in their faith.
They will need Thy blessings. Their road will be long and hard. For the
enemy is strong. He may hurl back our forces. Success may not come with
rushing speed, but we shall return again and again; and we know that by Thy
grace, and by the righteousness of our cause, our sons will triumph.
They will be sore tried, by night and by day, without rest until the victory
is won. The darkness will be rent by noise and flame. Men's souls will be
shaken with the violences of war.
For these men are lately drawn from the ways of peace. They fight not for
the lust of conquest. They fight to end conquest. They fight to liberate.
They fight to let justice arise, and tolerance, and good will among all Thy
people. They yearn but for the end of battle, for their return to the haven
of home.
Some will never return. Embrace these,
Father, and
receive them, Thy heroic servants, into Thy kingdom.
And for us at home -- fathers, mothers, children, wives, sisters, and
brothers of brave men overseas -- whose thoughts and prayers are ever with
them -- help us,
Almighty
God, to
rededicate ourselves in renewed faith in Thee in this hour of great
sacrifice.
Many people have urged that I call the Nation into a single day of special
prayer. But because the road is long and the desire is great, I ask that our
people devote themselves in a continuance of prayer. As we rise to each new
day, and again when each day is spent, let words of prayer be on our lips,
invoking Thy help to our efforts.
Give us strength, too -- strength in our daily tasks, to redouble the
contributions we make in the physical and the material support of our armed
forces.
And let our hearts be stout, to wait out the long travail, to bear sorrows
that may come, to impart our courage unto our sons wheresoever they may be.
And, O
Lord, give us faith. Give us
faith in Thee;
faith in our sons; faith
in each other; faith in our united crusade. Let not the keenness of our
spirit ever be dulled. Let not the impacts of temporary events, of temporal
matters of but fleeting moment -- let not these deter us in our unconquerable
purpose.
With Thy blessing, we shall prevail over the unholy forces of our enemy.
Help us to conquer the apostles of greed and racial arrogancies. Lead us to
the saving of our country, and with our sister Nations into a world unity
that will spell a sure peace, a peace invulnerable to the schemings of
unworthy men, and a peace that will let all of men live in freedom, reaping
the just rewards of their honest toil.
Thy will be done,
Almighty
God.
Amen.
