On June 28, 1787, at the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 81-year-old Benjamin Franklin made a providential motion that would change the course of history.
At the time, after more than a month of embittered deliberations and fierce debate, the framers’ attempts at crafting a new, more effective governing document for the young nation appeared to be grinding to an unsuccessful halt. As one delegate, Luther Martin confessed, the Convention was “on the verge of dissolution, scarce held together by the strength of a hair.”
When Franklin made his motion, the question of state representation–an issue identified as a “formidable obstacle” capable of “[rendering] all our fond hopes of a constitution abortive”–threatened to derail the proceedings. Franklin called the whole inauspicious affair “melancholy proof of the imperfection of the human understanding.” He then proposed a solution.
“In this situation of this assembly, groping as it were in the dark to find political truth, and scarce able to distinguish it when presented to us, how has it happened, sir, that we have not hitherto once thought of humbly applying to the Father of lights to illuminate our understandings?” the erudite sage asked.
In the beginning of the contest with G. Britain, when we were sensible of danger, we had daily prayer in this room for the Divine Protection. Our prayers, Sir, were heard, and they were graciously answered. All of us who were engaged in the struggle must have observed frequent instances of a Superintending providence in our favor. To that kind providence we owe this happy opportunity of consulting in peace on the means of establishing our future national felicity. And have we now forgotten that powerful friend? Or do we imagine that we no longer need his assistance?
“I have lived, sir, a long time, and the longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth–that God governs in the affairs of men. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without his notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without his aid? We have been assured, Sir, in the sacred writings that "except the Lord build they labor in vain that build it." I firmly believe this; and I also believe that without his concurring aid, we shall succeed in this political building no better than the Builders of Babel: We shall be divided by our little partial local interests; our projects will be confounded, and we ourselves shall be become a reproach and a bye word down to future age. And what is worse, mankind may hereafter from this unfortunate instance, despair of establishing Governments by Human Wisdom, and leave it to chance, war, and conquest.
I, therefore, beg leave to move, that henceforth prayers imploring the assistance of Heaven, and its blessings on our deliberations, be held in this Assembly every morning before we proceed to business, and that one or more of the clergy of the city be requested to officiate in that service.”
It may be impossible to determine whether or not those words actually salvaged the Convention from its impending wreckage, but the Convention was nonetheless salvaged, and multiple Founders later attributed their success to divine causes.
To those who knew just how close their efforts had come to failing, the best–and perhaps only–explanation for how the new Constitution had been, as Alexander Hamilton said, “suggested and agreed upon by such a diversity of interests” was that God had miraculously intervened on the nation’s behalf.
Now, hundreds of years later, our nation once again finds itself in a precarious place. Our future seems uncertain. The work of our Founders is on the brink of coming undone once and for all. But, if we remember where we have come from as a nation, we will know that hope is not lost.
The question confronting us today is this: Will we have the humility to do what Benjamin Franklin did so many years ago?
Will we have the humility to turn to God and pray for the nation?
As we pour out our lives and fortunes to save America, we must not forget the awesome power of prayer and the God who answers our prayers. He has saved us before. Do we still believe He can do it again?
