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.
Calvin Coolidge
Harding’s Vice President, Coolidge, became the new commander in chief following Harding’s death. Hearing of Harding’s passing, Coolidge and his wife knelt down by the bed and prayed. He humbly asked the Lord to bless him as he served the American people. He was told of the President’s death while on vacation at his farm in Vermont. Because of this he was sworn into office by his father, who was a local justice of the peace.
Coolidge was dubbed “Silent Cal” by journalists because he was always reticent to speak in public. He was the epitome of New England cool and puritanical piety. He and his wife Grace had their troubles. They lost their sixteen year old son from food poisoning. Grace composed a prayer that was circulated across the country entitled “The Open Door” that spoke of God leading us along the path to the glories of His grace. It clearly struck many as the cry of an agonizing mother.
Although Coolidge was popular he never stood for reelection. He left office when things seemed to be going well in America. He was followed by Herbert Hoover who was the President when the Great Depression hit the nation and the world. Hoover was a Quaker who prayed with the stock market crashed: “I need the help of Almighty God in this service to my country.” Hoover said there was two times Americans needed privacy: When praying and when fishing! Hoover became the scapegoat for the cataclysm of the Depression.