[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George H. W. Bush (1991, Book I)]
[January 31, 1991]
[Pages 85-86]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Remarks at the National Prayer Breakfast
January 31, 1991

    Thank you very much for that warm welcome. And let me just greet
Prime Minister Henry here and Prime Minister Ratu Mara and President 
Goncz over here, and all the other visitors from overseas.
    And I want to pay my special respects to the members of the Senate 
and House Prayer Group. I would also like to single out Doug Coe, who 
has been such a guiding light in all of this. And, of course, our 
special thanks to Joe Gibbs and to Governor Buddy Roemer for sharing in 
such a personal way their faith.
    My heartfelt thanks goes out to everyone involved in this marvelous 
event. Dr. Graham was reminding Barbara and me when we came over here of 
its genesis and how President Eisenhower, he felt, seemed very nervous 
about whether this would be the right thing to do and whether it would 
be a fulfilling experience for the people that attended. And I expect 
Ike would--if he could have attended this one--would have had no doubts 
whatsoever.
    I want to thank everyone for their concern and prayers about 
Barbara's recent accident. In these days of environmental terrorism--
[laughter]--I can happily report that the tree is very well and so is 
Barbara Bush--doing very well, I might say. And I say that with 
considerable pride.
    This is a diverse group. I've never seen anything quite like it--
politically or anything else. But we do have one thing in common: We 
stand together in prayer. Let me just share a letter--a true letter I 
received here from a mother who told me a story about her 5-year-old 
son's evening prayers. As he knelt by his bed--this kid was kneeling in 
prayer, and his parents explained that they were going to pray together 
for President Bush so that he would have the 
wisdom to get the hostages out of Iraq. And after a minute of deep 
thinking, the little boy said, ``Mom, how is a bush going to 
get the people out of the rock, and

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how did they get there in the first place?'' Well, the mother, in her 
wrap-up of the letter, said that it was a good thing the Lord knew what 
the boy was praying for, because he sure didn't. [Laughter] But, you 
know, the hostages came out of Iraq. [Laughter]
    So, I believe the Lord does hear our prayers. Joe put it very 
beautifully here. I know our country is praying for peace. And across 
this nation the churches, the synagogues, the mosques are packed--record 
attendance at services. In fact, the night the war began, Dr. Graham was 
at the White House. And he spoke to us then of the importance of turning 
to God as a people of faith, turning to Him in hope. And then the next 
morning, Dr. Graham went over to Fort Myer where we had a lovely service 
leading our nation in a beautiful prayer service there, with special 
emphasis on the troops overseas.
    So, I expect when Barbara and I were there at that prayer service, 
we were only doing what everyone in America was doing--praying for 
peace.
    You know, America is a nation founded under God. And from our very 
beginnings we have relied upon His strength and guidance in war and in 
peace. And this is something we must never forget. Just yesterday--
you're going to think I do nothing but read the mail--[laughter]--but 
just yesterday I got a letter from a man who pointed out to me that 
during the State of the Union Message that I had neglected to make any 
mention of God. And I was somewhat defensive about that, so I quickly 
went back and I did see at the very end ``may God bless America.'' But 
then I got realizing that this man was correct. I have learned what I 
suppose every President has learned, and that is that one cannot be 
President of our country without faith in God and without knowing with 
certainty that we are one nation under God. So, I think I should have 
made that clear--more clear that God is our rock and salvation, and we 
must trust Him and keep faith in Him.
    And so, we ask His blessings upon us and upon every member not just 
of our Armed Forces but of our coalition armed forces, with respect for 
the religious diversity that is represented as these 28 countries stand 
up against aggression.
    Today I'm asking and designating that Sunday, February 3d, be a 
national day of prayer. And I encourage all people of faith to say a 
special prayer on that day--a prayer for peace, a prayer for the safety 
of our troops, a prayer for their families, a prayer for the innocents 
caught up in this war, and a prayer that God will continue to bless the 
United States of America.

                    Note: The President spoke at 9:50 a.m. in the 
                        International Ballroom at the Washington Hilton 
                        Hotel. In his opening remarks, he referred to 
                        Prime Minister Geoffrey Henry of the Cook 
                        Islands; Prime Minister Ratu Mara of Fiji; 
                        President Arpad Goncz of Hungary; Douglas Coe, 
                        event coordinator for the National Prayer 
                        Breakfast; Joe Gibbs, coach of the Washington 
                        Redskins football team; Gov. Buddy Roemer of 
                        Louisiana; and evangelist Dr. Billy Graham. Mrs. 
                        Bush had fractured her left leg while sledding 
                        at Camp David, MD.