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Dear John,
On behalf of all of us at FRC, thank you for defending the faith!
Thanks to thousands of partners from across the country, we are heading into this important election season ready to effectively educate, equip, and empower believers to stand for biblical truth.
As we prepare to celebrate Independence Day this week, we are reminded of great leaders in our nation's history who rose to the challenge of the need of their generation and stood on the truth of God's Word.
World War II General, George S. Patton, was one such leader who stood for what was right, and knowing the power of prayer, he relied on God to fight his battles.
Despite a momentous victory over Hitler's forces on the beaches of Normandy, the Allied forces struggled for another 11 months to bring the war to an end. General Patton's battered Third Army suffered through horrible weather conditions for months, halting all Allied attempts to capture the remaining German territory. With this unforeseen opportunity, Hitler was able to prepare a brutal retaliation against the Allies, a battle which we now know as the Battle of the Bulge.
With a decisive victory over the Germans now seemingly out of sight, what Patton needed was not only good weather, but divine assistance.
In a letter to the Third Army, titled "Training Letter No. 5", Patton declared, "Those who pray do more for the world than those who fight, and if the world goes from bad to worse, it is because there are more battles than prayers".
Calling on his Army chaplain, he had him write the following prayer and send out over 250,000 copies to his battle-weary troops. Patton was convinced that the only true answer to his greatest challenge was to call on the Lord.
"Almighty and most merciful Father, we humbly beseech Thee of Thy great goodness to restrain these immoderate rains with which we have had to contend. Grant us fair weather for battle. Graciously hearken to us as soldiers who call upon Thee that armed with Thy power, we may advance from victory to victory, and crush the oppression and wickedness of our enemies and establish Thy justice among men and nations."
On December 20th, 1944, the rainy weather conditions miraculously cleared up and the Allies would go on to defeat Germany by May of 1945, an exceptional testament to the power of prayer.
Like General Patton, we are in the middle of an intense battle - the battle of our day is spiritual. We battle "against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places" (Eph. 6:12). The question is, will we rise to the challenge and courageously stand for truth?
As we celebrate Independence Day this week, it may be tempting to wish we could've lived at a different time in American history.
But just as God placed General Patton on earth to stand against evil at work in Nazi Germany, God has placed you and I on this earth "for such a time as this" (Esther 4:14).
At this critical moment in our nation's history where biblical truth is under attack from every direction, let's be inspired by the example of General Patton and turn to the Lord for help knowing that the battle is ultimately His.
I am sincerely thankful to the Lord for faithful partners like you, John, who are boldly standing on the Word of God, shining the light of truth, and carrying the torch of freedom for the next generation.
The battle for the soul of our nation is far from over, but thanks to your generous support, FRC is equipped and ready to fight the spiritual, cultural, and political battles ahead.
May you and your family have a wonderful Independence Day!
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