Lincoln, Churchill and Deakin - No 8

You might wonder what is the link between these three famous leaders. All three believed in and read the bible. All three believed they were fulfilling a divine destiny that God had purposed and all three men had divine premonitions. Deakin was given a prophesy in his 20's he would be an important national leader, Churchill had a vision as a young man that he would one day save his nation from a great peril. Lincoln's wife always knew he would be President and Lincoln dreamed of his own death. Deakin had a dream that he died. Lincolns nick name was "Honest Abe" and Australian's referred to Deakin as "Affable Alfred". Both Lincoln and Deakin were lawyers. All three men were strong leaders of their nation at a critical time in history.

Deakin's Prayer No 8

"To pray to Thee O God I must - seeking humbly a closer and more intimate relation between Thy Will and my obedience and yet I hesitate to pray - since all I can utter is an aspiration towards Thee and submission in Faith to Thee. "Nearer O God to Thee" - "Thy Will be done". To praise Thee I cannot for sheer incompetency and ignorance. Yet I would that I could glorify Thee in speech, in thought and in life. To serve Thee is all my aim, including all other aims that are pure, noble and good. My serving I would to be not that of a mere bidden slave but of a son full of love, gratitude and reverence, freely uttered and forgivingly received. Prayer and praise, trust and love, infinite veneration and finite meekness and modesty I crave to use, to realize, to brood upon and to express. Merciful Father aid me." 2nd April 1898- Alfred Deakin