Back in 1996, a preacher sent a Bible verse to the President. The preacher was Robert Schuller and the President was Bill Clinton. Clinton had just been re-elected and Schuller’s note of congratulations to him included Isaiah 58:12 —
“Thou shalt raise up the foundations of many generations, and thou shalt be called the repairer of the breach, the restorer of paths to dwell in.”
Clinton liked the verse so much he had his Bible opened to it when he gave his oath of office. He also quoted it in his State of the Union speech where he said: “I placed my hand on that verse when I took the oath of office, on behalf of all Americans. For no matter what our differences — in our faiths, our backgrounds, our politics — we must all be repairers of the breach.”
Perhaps the President was feeling more pastoral out of guilt – he was in the middle of his affair with Monica Lewinski at that time. But the principle remains valid. Our walls are broken down and someone needs to repair them. Could that someone be you? Be the kind of person who has a strong enough foundation you can help others to shore themselves up, as God enables you.
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Adapted from the article “President Finds Power In Preacher of The ‘Hour’,” by Peter Baker, February 12, 1997; < https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1997/02/12/president-finds-power-in-preacher-of-the-hour/a996e902-dd5e-4eda-9503-871b085e7979/ >.