Entrusted with the Gospel

Roger's reflections on grace, God and other grand topics


The Praying Patton

Lately I’ve been reading (listening to) The Storm of War: A New History of the Second World War, by Andrew Roberts.  Yesterday I delighted to run across this prayer by one of the more famous WWII Generals, “Old Blood and Guts,” George S. Patton: 

“Sir, this is Patton talking,” the general peremptorily told Almighty God in the chapel of the Fondation Pescatore in Luxembourg on 23 December (1944). “You have just got to make up Your mind whose side You’re on.  You must come to my assistance, so that I might dispatch the entire German Army as a birthday present to Your Prince of Peace.”

I don’t really know what to say about this odd little prayer, except that for all his faults…well, at least he was praying.  

And by the way, whatever battle you’re fighting…keep praying.



2 responses to “The Praying Patton”

  1. Wow. I don’t even know what else to say to this! Really interesting.

    Vaguely reminds me of this fascinating book called The Civil War as a Theological Crisis: http://www.amazon.com/Civil-War-Theological-Crisis/dp/0807830127.

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    1. Yeah, Patton was an interesting guy, to say the least.

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