On Feb. 4, powers from all across the globe gathered to attend the National Prayer Breakfast. On the first Thursday of February each year, the breakfast opens at 7:30 am.
There were solemn looks all around as Mary Kay Messenger sang “God Bless America”. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) said “Be open to advice.” Todd Akon (R-Mo.) called it the best hour of the week. Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, prime minister of Spain, said, “Freedom is the foundation of hope.”
Michael Mullen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, delivered a prayer for all the leaders of the world. Mullen went on to say that a free man has a choice to the extent that he is rational.
“Let’s take the time to ask, ‘What am I doing, what am I not doing, and how can I make up the difference?’” he said.
The keynote speaker was Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
“Faith without work won’t work,” she said. “We are all seekers.”
Following Hillary was none other than current President Barack Obama. The president called out the leaders of the world by saying that civility is not a sign of weakness.
“Let us be guided by our faith,” he said. He also stated that progress comes when we open our hearts.
The event closed with the University of Florida Gators quarterback Tim Tebow delivering the closing prayer, saying that“we don’t know the future, but we know who owns it.”
For a native Washingtonian, this event was new and breathtaking. The world can only improve itself by taking the words of these great leaders and showing them examples of each. It is then that the entire globe will truly come together in prayer and in deeds.
