Happy Birthday Ben Franklin!
Our old “Uncle” Ben Franklin was born on January 17th, 1706. Since the celebration
of his 300th birthday will soon be upon us (this coming January), the people of
Philadelphia are preparing a large birthday celebration in his honor. Therefore, I
thought you’d like to know what Uncle Ben wrote to us about prayer in his
autobiography. Here is his legacy to us:
“…and conceiving God to be the fountain of Wisdom, I thought it right and
necessary to solicit His assistance for obtaining it; to this end, I formed the
following prayer which was prefixed to my tables of (self) examination for daily
use:
Oh powerful Goodness! Bountiful Father! Merciful Guide! Increase in me that wisdom
which discovers my truest interest. Strengthen my resolutions to perform what that
wisdom dictates. Accept my kind offices to Thy other children as the only return in
my power to thank You for Thy continual favors to me.”
Ben Franklin also mentioned in his autobiography, that he said this very same prayer
every day for fifty years! I wonder if we have the wisdom to know our “truest
interest?” I wonder, do we perform enough “kind offices” to God’s “other children?”
In his own way, Ben has given us a gift, an inheritance, and a truly inspiring birthday
gift, on the day when we will again say to him: “Happy Birthday Ben Franklin!”
P.S. When you write your autobiography, will you be able to tell your readers about
the prayer you prayed every day - for fifty years or more? What will that prayer be?
Note:The above is an excerpt from my book: Anchors Of Faith,by Terrance L. Weber,
available on my website:
http://craftyones.net/originalsbyweber
Terry L. Weber
Terry Weber is a retired advertising/direct mail sales letter copywriter and
inventor of several useful items. Terry and his wife Doris are Habitat For
Humanity, RV Care-A- Vanners who, for the past eight years have volunteered to
help build more than 36 houses all over the USA. They travel to and from the 2-
week long builds in their RV. The money they make on their Crafty-Ones website
helps them pay their expenses to and from those volunteer Habitat builds.
