Prayers of a Prime Minister
By Alan Currie
P2
A man of literature, philosophy and poetry.
How did he manage to have such knowledge of literature, philosophy, poetry and culture and yet be such an astute political and pragmatic national leader was a mystery to many?
He was an enigma to some and a mystic to others. Criticized as a dreamer and idealist, he proved that he had the ability to realize his dreams through insightful planning and good government policy.
In these pages, you will learn that his true power and ability to transform a nation may not have come from his earthly abilities, but from the depth of his relationship with the one he knew.
Sir Robert Menzies one of Australia’s great Prime Ministers, was given all of Alfred Deakins private papers by his three remaining daughters, Ivy, Stella and Vera in 1947. Menzies later went on film record to say “Alfred Deakin was Australia’s greatest Prime Minister.” These papers and journals that are held in trust by the Australian National Library contain a great wealth of information about a man who was as great a leader as Abraham Lincoln or Winston Churchill.
His prayer journals span a period from 1884 to 1913 and cover a very important time in Australian history. They were written in a tumultuous time of world history, when Queen Victoria ruled the largest empire in history and the Zulu and Boar War in South Africa was raging. Australians debated over trade protection or tree trade between states and nations. Victorian labour strikes threatened anarchy and revolution was in the wind.
This was the time of inventions. Edison had just invented the electric light and the Wright Brothers had taken to the sky in the first airplane. The USA saw President McKinley assassinated and Teddy Roosevelt assumed the Presidency. China was experiencing the Boxer Rebellion, Queen Victoria died and Edward VII became King. Then King George V ascended to the throne, nine years after he opened the first Australian Government in 1901.
These prayers have never been made public and between these pages are held some of the most insightful wisdom and understanding that leaders around the world need to ponder. Deakin's prayers hold ageless wisdom that will help inspire, challenge and enlighten anyone who reads them and meditates upon their meaning.
It's more than 100 years since Alfred Deakin passed into history, yet the times he lived seem strangely similar to the current environment at the dawning of the 21st Century. The desperate need for wise leadership and statesmanship, is as important today as it was in the early 20th Century.
In Proverbs 14:34 it says “Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people”.
It seems we have forgotten the lessons of history as nations are suffering under executive leaders in all strata of society who no longer fear God or believe that he exists. Fredrick Nietzsche comment that “God is dead …and we have killed him” reveals that man has become his own god in order to fill the void.
Charles Darwin theory of evolution is now man’s new faith and it has spawned the belief that we all need to take care of “number one”. But we have conveniently ignored the fact that Darwin's theory of the survival of the fittest, justified Hitler’s “Aryan superiority” and his evil plans of eugenics that exterminated millions of innocent people, in particular the Jews who God first singled out to receive his revelation.
Alfred Deakin grappled with these issues and wrote extensively on religious and philosophical topics. Some historians have labelled Deakin as a spiritualist and mystic and downplayed his faith in an all-powerful creator who we find in the bible. It is true that Deakin in his earlier life attended seances and even organised some in his own home in the mid 1870’s during his late teens to early 20’s. But this was a short period in his early life which was abandoned when he became a politician.
The world is crying out for leaders who not only have knowledge, but also the wisdom to appreciate responsibility by not abusing their position of authority. We need selfless leaders who don't need the titles for their own ego, but who simply want to get the job done with excellence. These qualities were in abundance in Alfred Deakin.
Righteousness does exalt a nation, but the opposite has the reverse effect and people suffer when self-scented arrogant people abuse their power and positions of authority for selfish ends. This is the outworking of philosophies like Nietzsche and Darwinism that was birthed during Alfred Deakins era and the world is now reaping the fruits of that thinking.
If this nihilistic Godless philosophy is allowed to continue we will see our future leaders emerging who will go beyond the atrocities of even Hitler and the world may never recover.
It is time to revisit the great leaders of the past like Alfred Deakin who also understood the knowledge and principles of God. Deakin gained his ability to lead a nation by knowing the ultimate caring leader who was prepared to give up his own life for the benefit of mankind.
I hope this site becomes a trusted reference that you visit in years to come and Alfred’s prayers and heart felt desires may resonate with your desires and propel you towards your ultimate destiny.
