AUSPICIOUS

From My Perspective - - -

We have all heard about, or seen, or participated in an auspicious moment in our lives. Hopefully – there have been many such occasions. In the current trend of our times, “auspicious” does not appear to be the operative word. “Auspicious” refers to “promising success; opportune; favorable…giving promise of prosperity, or happiness; predicting good…” Can President-Elect Obama, with all his oratorical skills, and seeing the realities of this nation and world, rise to the occasion and inspire a nation to stretch itself and aspire to its potential? We all hope and pray that this nation will turn from its excesses and find stability once again.

As we look at these times, there is a vague similarity to the events surrounding World War II. In his first speech as Prime Minister, on May 13^th, 1940, Winston Churchill met his cabinet and sought to gain their confidence, and that of the people of Great Britain. While he wanted to encourage them during very difficult and hard times, he said: “I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears and sweat.” Churchill’s address ended with these stirring words: “We have before us an ordeal of the most grievous kind. We have before us many, many long months of struggle and of suffering. You ask, what is our policy? I can say: It is to wage war, by sea, land and air, with all our might and with all the strength that God can give us; to wage war against a monstrous tyranny, never surpassed in the dark, lamentable catalogue of human crime. That is our policy. You ask, what is our aim? I can answer in one word: It is victory, victory at all costs, victory in spite of all terror, victory, however long and hard the road may be; for without victory, there is no survival. Let that be realized; no survival for the British Empire, no survival for all that the British Empire has stood for, no survival for the urge and impulse of the ages, that mankind will move forward towards its goal. But I take up my task with buoyancy and hope. I feel sure that our cause will not be suffered to fail among men. At this time I feel entitled to claim the aid of all, and I say, "come then, let us go forward together with our united strength."

On the other side of the Atlantic, Franklin Delano Roosevelt gave his First Inaugural Address in 1933. He shared this grim perspective and reality to a desperate but hopeful nation: “This great Nation will endure as it has endured, will revive and will prosper. So, first of all, let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself—nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance….In such a spirit on my part and on yours we face our common difficulties. They concern, thank God, only material things. Values have shrunken to fantastic levels; taxes have risen; our ability to pay has fallen; government of all kinds is faced by serious curtailment of income; the means of exchange are frozen in the currents of trade; the withered leaves of industrial enterprise lie on every side; farmers find no markets for their produce; the savings of many years in thousands of families are gone. More important, a host of unemployed citizens face the grim problem of existence, and an equally great number toil with little return. Only a foolish optimist can deny the dark realities of the moment…Happiness lies not in the mere possession of money; it lies in the joy of achievement, in the thrill of creative effort. The joy and moral stimulation of work no longer must be forgotten in the mad chase of evanescent profits. These dark days will be worth all they cost us if they teach us that our true destiny is not to be ministered unto but to minister to ourselves and to our fellow men…In this dedication of a Nation we humbly ask the blessing of God. May He protect each and every one of us. May He guide me in the days to come.”

Consider these things with me - - - and remember the thinking of King David in Psalm 27, “The Lord is my light and my salvation—whom/what shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life--of whom/what shall I be afraid?…Though an army besiege me, my heart will not fear; though war break out against me, even then I WILL BE CONFIDENT…My heart says of you, Seek his face! Your face, Lord, I will seek…Teach me your way, O Lord; lead me in a straight path…I AM STILL CONFIDENT of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.” Don’t lose your focus or your confidence. Trust the Lord now – and – always!