Posted on 11/17/2001 6:23:08 PM PST by Ironword
Just one of those "never mind" moments!!
According to the artists . . . .
Well, there definitely was plenty of that during the Revolutionary War -- witness, for instance, the providential fog that settled at the Battle of Brooklyn Heights, which allowed Washington and the army to escape across the East River. Even the Brits saw the hand of God in that.
A ten-dollar word, that :-)
Probably not.
At the start of the Civil War, both Jefferson and Lincoln called for a day of fasting and prayer, implying confession of sin and humility before God. It seems all we've had thus far from all quarters since 9/11 has been calls for prayer to the self god of material and emotional comforts.
It may be -- but that powerful text is a statement of divine judgment upon the wicked (specifically, backslidden Israelites who had made idols and worshipped them in word and deed).
Return To Paradise
The natural man has his needs
physically he plants his seeds
concerned for his daily bread
and a place to rest his head
The evil man plants his seeds
whence he goes, grows naught but weeds
the food upon which he does feast
is that which is below the beast
The soul of man is deep within
struggling to overcome the sins
of the evil and natural man
and return to Eden, the promised land
The Spirit of man yearns to sing
of Celestial splendor with the King
and return with Him, to Paradise
where there is no fear, where no Soul cries
Copyright © 1996 By John J. Lindsay. All Rights Reserved
October 20, 1981
P.S. My belief is the reason I do not live in fear.
Saturday, January 27, 2001
Dear Call Box: At the end of George W. Bush's inaugural address he said, "This story goes on. And an angel still rides in the whirlwind and directs this storm." Can you tell me to what this refers? -- M.G.
Dear M.G. You're not the only person curious about the phrase. Bush included a number of religious references in his speech. However, this one produced some discussion. Former presidential speechwriter Peggy Noonan, in a Wall Street Journal column, wrote that the phrase was "opaque."
Here are a few clues:
A book titled Angel in the Whirlwind: The Triumph of the American Revolution was written by Benson Bobrick a few years ago. The title came from a letter written by John Page, a Virginia statesman, to Thomas Jefferson two weeks after the Declaration of Independence was adopted: "God preserve the United States. We know the Race is not to the swift nor the battle to the strong. Do you not think an Angel rides in the Whirlwind and directs this Storm?"
The "race to the swift" phrase is a quote from the Book of Ecclesiastes in the Old Testament. The origin of the "angel in the whirlwind" phrase is less clear. While there are plenty of references to angels and whirlwinds in the Bible, we could not find the exact phrase. Bartlett's quotations includes this reference from Joseph Addison in 1704, "And, please the Almighty's orders to perform, rides in the whirlwind and directs the storm."
Bobrick, interviewed by phone from his Vermont home, said he did not understand the connection between "angel in the whirlwind" and Bush's inaugural address, since there is no national crisis taking place today to compare with the creation of a new nation in 1776.
We called the White House press office and asked for an explanation but have not received a return call. Columnist Noonan summed up the theme of the inaugural address as: "God is here and asks us to do good."
This story can be found on Jacksonville.com at http://www.jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/012701/met_5228145.html.
I think he stated, in broad conceptual terms, the highest principles of his vision for his new role as President. (To make our country more just and generous, to affirm the dignity of our lives and every life.)
Then he described his view that the goal is larger than one man's role (This work continues. This story goes on.)
And lastly, he disclosed his view that God's work was being carried out ( And an angel still rides in the whirlwind and directs this storm.)
At the time I just thought to myself that it was about time a Republican got a decent speech writer.
Anyway, after returning to our hotel and finaly being able to watch the inauguration and hear the speach on TV, my wife became very exited about the phrase An Angel Rides in the Whirlwind . So much so that she decided to make up a big poster with the phrase for the Right to Life March on the following Monday. As the husband and (definetly) the physically stronger of the two of us, I was required to carry it. Felt a little silly, since I had never heard the phrase before and really had no good a answer to other marchers questions as to the meaning of my banner.
So I am standing there with my big poster An Angel Rides in the Whirlwind feeling as I mentioned a little silly (such are at times the duties of a husband of an activist), wishing my wife was strong enough to carry it herself. Bob Dornan, my long time hero and idol was the the keynote speaker at the march and lo and behold, his speach was centered around and conluded with indeed ... An Angel Rides in the Whirlwind
Needless to say I was quite proud to carry the poster for the rest of the day. And, yes indeed, let us all hope and pray that God will guide and lead our country and our President through this whirlwind of a time
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