Remarks at the Annual
National Prayer Breakfast
You
know, hearing these wonderful young men from Wheaton College here took me down
memory lane a little bit, because some years ago, before they were born, and
possibly before some of their fathers were born -- [laughter] -- I played
football against Wheaton College. And it's kind of nice that I can say here --
if one of them asked me -- it ended in a tie game. [Laughter]
At
the risk of sounding facetious, I just want to say here in this room -- and as
has been so eloquently stated by the people who've spoken already -- about the
uniqueness of how all of us, from so many different heritages, have come
together here in the name of that one man. I have long been unable to
understand the atheist in this world of so much beauty. And I've had an unholy
desire to invite some atheists to a dinner and then serve the most fabulous
gourmet dinner that has ever been concocted and, after dinner, ask them if they
believe there was a cook. [Laughter]
But
I want to thank each of you for being here today and for sharing with us the
spiritual message that God has placed in your hearts. God's love shines through
every word. His truth is the ultimate power source, and it's always there. It's
available to ministers of the Gospel, Presidents, and the local grocery clerk.
His comforting hand -- well, I could never carry the responsibilities of this
high office without it.
Our
forefathers drew on the wisdom and strength of God when they turned a vast
wilderness into a blessed land of plenty called the
Recently
a letter found its way to my desk, I'm pleased to say, and in that letter was a
copy of a prayer. It was sent to me by a woman who had lost her husband in
World War II. This prayer had been written and delivered in a shellhole during World War II. It read:
Hear
me, oh God; never in the whole of my lifetime have I spoken to You, but just now I feel like sending You my greetings.
You
know, from childhood on, they've always told me You
are not. I, like a fool, believed them.
I've
never contemplated your creation, and yet tonight, gazing up out of my shell
hole, I marveled at the shimmering stars above me and suddenly knew the cruelty
of the lie.
Will
You, my God, reach your hand out to me, I wonder? But
I will tell You, and You will understand. Is it not
strange that light should come upon me and I see You
amid this night of hell?
There's
nothing else I have to say. This, though: I'm glad that I've learned to know You.
At
The signal. Well, I guess I must be going. I have
been happy with You.
This
more I want to say. As You well know, the fighting
will be cruel, and even tonight I may come knocking at Your door. Although I
have not been a friend to You before, still, will You
let me enter now, when I do come?
Why,
I'm crying, oh God, my Lord. You see what happens to me: Tonight my eyes were
opened.
Farewell
my God, I'm going, and I'm not likely to come back. Strange, is it not, but
death I fear no longer.
And
he did not come back. This prayer was found on the body of a young Russian
soldier killed in action in 1944. I also received some letters -- five letters,
in fact -- from
Russian soldiers in
And
just last week, one of those five -- we did get them out. Their plea was for
sanctuary. One of those five was in my office, a handsome young man in his
early twenties. And it was evident -- and not only from his letter but from his
words -- when he was thanking me for what we had done, that he believed in God.
And I asked him how much religion did he believe there was in his own country.
And he said, well, among young people like myself, it
is spreading fast.
So,
I know with all of us here, brought together, as we've been told so often this
morning, in His name -- I just thank you, and God bless you all.
Note: The President
spoke at