God Be Merciful
The little Episcopal Prayer Book for Soldiers and Sailors was a complete resource for worship, prayer, and study. It included Bible passages that were especially useful for military men and women. One of these was Jesus’ classic parable of the proud man and the humble man:
The Pharisee and the Publican
And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess. And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted. (Luke 18:9–14 KJV)
The little prayer, “God be merciful to me a sinner,” is the key to our faith in Jesus Christ. I say it earnestly every day. Jesus came into the world to save sinners, and, until we acknowledge our own hopeless condition, there is nothing he can do within us; there is no room for his saving grace.
This Scripture passage is especially fitting for the last month of this book, devoted to victory in World War II. It is an appropriate reminder of the danger of pride, which can cause us to stumble at the personal and the national level. In this war America achieved complete and total victory over all her enemies. A thankful humility was appropriate then and continues to be our best posture as a nation now, as we acknowledge God’s grace and our countless blessings.