Catching up with weekend emails I note in his blog As we face this crisis, the President has asked us to pray… American author and blogger Joel Rosenberg quotes an official proclamation issued on Saturday in full. I’m referring to it here for information in order to contrast the leadership of a Christian-led federation of individual states with a once-Christian united kingdom of four nations…(all emphases mine):

THE UNITED STATES

Proclamation on the National Day of Prayer for All Americans Affected by the Coronavirus Pandemic and for our National Response Efforts

POTUS Donald Trump even quotes scriptures, and embraces devotees of all religions,  in his opening paragraphs: 

‘In our times of greatest need, Americans have always turned to prayer to help guide us through trials and periods of uncertainty.  As we continue to face the unique challenges posed by the coronavirus pandemic, millions of Americans are unable to gather in their churches, temples, synagogues, mosques, and other houses of worship.  But in this time we must not cease asking God for added wisdom, comfort, and strength, and we must especially pray for those who have suffered harm or who have lost loved ones.  I ask you to join me in a day of prayer for all people who have been affected by the coronavirus pandemic and to pray for God’s healing hand to be placed on the people of our Nation.

‘As your President, I ask you to pray for the health and well-being of your fellow Americans and to remember that no problem is too big for God to handle.  We should all take to heart the holy words found in 1 Peter 5:7:  “Casting all your care upon him, for he careth for you.”  Let us pray that all those affected by the virus will feel the presence of our Lord’s protection and love during this time.  With God’s help, we will overcome this threat….’

NOTE how this ‘newbie’ Christian draws his short proclamation to a conclusion:

‘As we come to our Father in prayer, we remember the words found in Psalm 91:  “He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.”

‘As we unite in prayer, we are reminded that there is no burden too heavy for God to lift or for this country to bear with His help.  Luke 1:37 promises that “For with God nothing shall be impossible,” and those words are just as true today as they have ever been..’.  

THE UNITED KINGDOM

That makes a HUGE contrast with ‘Great’ Britain where no Head of State or national leader – secular or spiritual – has done anything similar to unite the nation in prayer!!! 

In A nation confronting its own mortality needs spiritual leadership. So where is Justin Welby? journalist Simon Heffer reminds readers,

‘With an absence of word-mincing unusual in his office, the Prime Minister has warned that some of our loved ones will die because of the coronavirus. He has urged individuals to rally round and do what the state cannot, and ensure those in isolation are looked after. Our political leadership has not concealed just how fundamentally life could change for all of us.  It amounts to little less than a recalibration of our existence…’

Heffer then points out and asks:

Mr Johnson began to articulate this; but the crisis takes us into philosophical questions about the nature of society and our place in it that go beyond the training or experience of a politician. They border on spiritual matters. The Prime Minister would presumably be the first to admit he lacks the authority required of a divine spokesman. When faced with matters of life and death, especially on this potential scale, our culture – even if we are not religious ourselves – demands something more elevated. And that brings us to the Archbishop of Canterbury.

‘As deaths rose and coronavirus cases multiplied last week, the Primate of All England, spiritual leader of the Established Church, was notably silent. Given we were being warned of a possible death toll that would remove a higher proportion of our population than at any time since the Great War, did the Almighty’s Anglican vicar on earth have something to say? He did not. Perhaps Justin Welby has been saving up a grand pronouncement for the Lord’s Day. If so, it may prove welcome, but would have come far too late…’

It makes a notably deep contrast with Welby’s call a year ago to a national day of prayer over leaving the EU, albeit unaware of the dozens of prophecies in this regard!! 

PS >> http://anglican.ink/2020/03/14/archbishop-of-canterbury-message-on-the-wuhan-virus-pandemic/

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