Ohio History Journal

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INVOCATION

INVOCATION

 

BY REV. W. H. SHEPFER

 

GRACIOUS GOD, OUR HEAVENLY FATHER, acknowledging our

weakness and our sinfulness, we invoke thy divine blessing upon

us as we have come together to recall the heroic lives and sac-

rifices of our forefathers in this section of our great country.

Through the Spirit of Truth give us, O God, wisdom and

understanding.

We acknowledge Thee, Dear Father, as the Giver of every

good and perfect gift. Thou art the Source from whom all our

blessings flow.

We acknowledge Thee as the God of Nations. We trace Thy

hand in our history. When we recall the successful struggles

against great odds of our pioneers for civil and religious freedom

we are constrained to exclaim, "This is the finger of God."

We thank Thee, O God, that in Thy good Providence this

new land became a refuge for the oppressed peoples of the earth.

Help us to remember with grateful hearts the great sacrifices even

unto death made by our God-fearing forefathers in their battles

for the principles of civil and religious freedom upon which our

great Nation has been founded.

May we learn again as a nation Thy admonition that

"righteousness exalteth a nation but sin is a reproach to any

people."

Strengthen us and guide us, O God, in these terrible, troublous

times when our liberties and way of life are being threatened by

irresponsible tyrants of the earth.

Oh, Righteous Father, direct us and help us to prepare our-

selves both materially and spiritually to defend the civil and

religious freedom for which our forefathers fought so that govern-

ments "of the people, by the people, for the people shall not perish

from the earth."

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