By J. Agustin S. Dizon

It was said once by the writer S.T. Tennyson that “more things are wrought by prayer than this world dreams of”.

The power of prayer in the affairs of men can never be underestimated. This is true even in the dispensation of justice which is the primary work of judges and justices.

Considering that only few men among the multitude are judges or justices who are given the role to sit in judgment over their fellowmen, verily, they are expected to be men of prayer who would do their work with “no master but the law, no guide but conscience and no goal but justice”.

It is a widely accepted view that judges or justices ought to be men of prayer who should begin their day with a prayer. Prayer should be their key in the morning and the bolt of the evening as it is a shield to the soul, a sacrifice to God and a scourge for Satan. It is believed that one can see more on his knees in prayer than a philosopher on his tiptoes. When trouble and perplexity beset a judge or justice, prayer is a weapon that can drive away the same.

Indeed, I strongly believe that the dispensation of justice in any country will improve greatly if its judges or justices will begin the day with a prayer and end the same also with a prayer. According to a wise thinker and philosopher “the spectacle of a nation whose judges and justices commune always with God through prayers is more awe-inspiring than the explosion of an atomic bomb. The force of prayer is greater than the explosion of an atomic bomb. The force of prayer is greater than any possible combination of man-made or man-controlled powers, because prayer is man’s greatest means of tapping the infinite resources of God. Invoking by prayer the mercy and might of God is our most efficacious means of guaranteeing justice, peace and security for the harassed and helpless people of the earth”.

Benjamin Franklin as a founding Father of the U.S. Constitution knew the value of prayer. “In the 1780s, he was called upon to help draft the U.S. Constitution. And it was in 1787 at the Constitutional Convention that Benjamin Franklin took his most courageous stand. The Convention was on the verge of failure over the issue of whether small states should have the same representation as large states. The deadlock seemed hopeless. At age eighty-one, Franklin rose with a suggestion. He was convinced that the Bible is right in saying, ‘Unless the Lord builds the house, its builders labor in vain’ (Psalm 127:1), and he said: ‘Gentlemen, I have lived a long time and am convinced that God governs in the affairs of men. If a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without His notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without His aid? I move that prayer imploring the assistance of Heaven be held every morning before we proceed to business.’ The motion was carried. And from then on prayer was offered each morning until a compromise was reached.”