Listen Well
“It is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favor.”
These are not the words of a pastor or preacher. They were uttered in December of 1783 by a man who held the reigns to virtually all of the military power in the recently liberated United States of America, a man that could have very easily retained that power, and employed it in his own interest.
George Washington.
The quote is taken from Washington’s resignation speech as Commander in Chief after the sucess of the Revolutionary War. There never had been a general like Washington, leading future Americans in instrumental battles against incredible odds. Washington accomplished something never before achieved, wresting an astounding victory away from the threat of the world’s most powerful empire.
Many wondered, after his enormous success, after leading the combined colonies to victory against their English oppresors, what actions a man such as him would take.
Well… he went home.
George Washington returned to his lands in Mount Vernon as a civilian. After holding more power than most human beings would ever experience in their lifetimes, he decided to reliquish that power and live an ordinary life. Why?
In the quote Washington speaks of obeying the ‘Holy Will’ of the ‘Almighty God,’ and that this Will should be the guiding force of what he saw as a future nation. Washington was grateful for his wartime opportunity, but he knew when that opportunity had changed, and his mission had ceased. He recognized when it was no longer the Will of God for him to lead the military forces of the newly formed America, and he obeyed that Will.
This is the reason we seek to highlight this illustrious man today. Washington was a man rich beyond measure, with one of the most powerful and influential positions in the known world, and he followed what he believed was commanded by the Will of God.
He listened well.
It would have been more than easy for Washington to justify holding onto that power, to conlfate and confuse his will for the higher Will. To enact his own purposes instead of humbly approaching the Will of God. Countless men and women from every era of history have fallen victim to the allure of potency and taste for power. Washington knew there was a Higher Power all along.
And one can’t know to obey the Will of the Lord without knowing how to listen. George Washington was often reported to engage in frequent prayerful meditations. This fervent prayer led him to be open and willing to follow the guidance of Providence. He was ready to listen and to obey.
Now for the rest of the story. You see, this incident was several years before Washington was elected President of the United States in 1789. He would go on to serve two terms as what many scholars describe was one of the greatest Leaders America has ever seen.
It was the single most powerful position inhabited by Washington in his lifetime, and remains not only the position of greatest power and influence in our country, but one of the most powerful positions in the modern world. The will called him again, again he listened and again he lead.
We can’t say exactly how Washington’s story would have been different if he hadn’t listened well. We can’t pretend to know what kinds of things would have befallen our nascent country had he chosen to ingnore the commands of The Spirit… but we do know George Washington followed the Voice of the Lord, and because of it, he changed the world.
May we listen well enough to be like him.
