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America Must Pray

By Dr. Mal Couch

Public prayer, spiritual publications of poems and music, have always been a part of America, until recently. There are forces now trying to silence the Christian spiritual heritage of open and free expression to our God that made this nation great.

Each week I’ll add some historical tidbits as how Christian expression and public prayer was a vital part of our nation’s blessing. We may not fully know of the spiritual state of all the men we examine, but we do know none of them were fearful of prayers to the God of the Bible in the public setting.

If you are a pastor or Sunday school teacher, please print off these little bits of our history and share them with others.

The New England Primer Improved

The popular New England Primer was revised and turned into a new and improved version. While published in New York it went in circulation throughout the school systems of the country. The Introduction read:

The writer of the following book, having been impressed with the sentiment, that a concise treatise, calculated to instruct children in the duty of prayer, is much needed. … Parents and teachers, conscientiously engaged in training up youth in the ways of PIETY, will reflect, that prayer is the first and last duty of the sinner; that children must be taught not only diligently, but early, a sense of obligation to God for all His mercies, and likewise the duty of asking them from Him by prayer.

For older children came another book entitled Juvenile Devotion. This poem was put in the book to inspire morning prayer:

While many younger far than I,
Last night by death were snatch’d away,
The angel of the Lord has kept
My health in safety while I slept.

The evening prayer read:

While many younger far than I,
This day by death were snatch’d away,
My wand’ring steps have been His care,
To guard from death and every snare.

Another widely circulated book followed for family use entitled Family Prayer. It was to be used for family devotionals and "to take the lead in ensuring that their children became constant in their prayers as the sure path to a virtuous life." The book insisted that fathers should read to their children not mothers unless fathers have died. "It stressed the need for such fathers, not mothers, to take the lead in ensuring that their children became constant in these prayers." The Introduction read:

The utility of books of this description in a Christian country can be questioned by none. There is not a Christian father of a family, who is not urged to acknowledge his obligations to the author, by whom he is furnished with the means of guiding the devotions of his household, and of teaching those, whose spiritual as well as temporal interests, are committed to his care, how, suitable, to address themselves to the Father of their spirits, the Preserver of their lives, the Bestower of their blessings, and the Redeemer of their souls."