The Providence of Washington
Every February 22, Americans remember George Washington as the “father of our country.” In this episode of GodNAmerica, Dr. Perry Greene focuses less on Washington’s fame and more on what he sees as the spiritual backbone behind it: Washington’s humility, restraint, and reliance on God’s providence.
Greene traces moments from Washington’s life that he believes show divine protection in the middle of real danger—and then connects those moments to a broader warning: liberty does not survive on slogans, but on virtue, and virtue cannot thrive without faith.
Readers will learn how Greene connects Washington’s battlefield experiences, his refusal to seize power, and his public emphasis on religion and morality—and how Greene applies those lessons to daily prayer, personal integrity, and teaching the next generation the responsibilities that come with freedom.
Dr. Perry Greene opens by noting that every February 22, the nation pauses to honor George Washington, often remembering his battlefield leadership and his presidency. Greene argues that what stands out even more is Washington’s character—especially his humility, his faith, and his reliance on God’s providence. In Greene’s framing, Washington shared the founders’ conviction that liberty was not a human invention but a divine endowment.
Greene describes Washington’s life as a “tapestry” marked by evidence of divine protection, and he points first to an early episode in Washington’s military career. During the French and Indian War, Greene highlights the Battle of Monongahela in 1755. Washington was only 23 years old, riding through intense fire as British forces fell around him. Greene notes that Washington later wrote he had survived by the “all-powerful dispensations of Providence.” The survival sounded personal as well as dramatic: Greene says four bullets pierced Washington’s coat, and two horses were shot from under him.
Greene adds a later detail meant to reinforce how unusual that day appeared to those who witnessed it. Years afterward, Greene recounts, a Native American chief who had fought against Washington told him he believed Washington was protected by the Great Spirit and could not be killed in battle. For Greene, that testimony functions as an outside confirmation of what Washington himself believed: his survival was not a matter of luck.
From there, Greene moves forward to the Revolutionary War and points to another moment he treats as providential deliverance: the Battle of Long Island in 1776. Greene describes Washington’s army as surrounded—British forces on three sides, the East River on the fourth—leaving escape seemingly impossible. Then, Greene says, a sudden fog rolled in: dense, silent, and timely. Under its cover, Washington was able to ferry his entire army across the river to safety “without losing a man,” and Greene emphasizes Washington’s personal resolve by noting Washington was the last to board the final boat. Greene says many saw that fog as a miraculous deliverance.
Greene’s emphasis is that Washington did not chalk such moments up to coincidence. He describes Washington as someone who recognized the hand of God in critical turns of his life. Greene connects that posture of trust to Psalm 18:2, which he presents as the kind of declaration that could have fit Washington’s own perspective:
“The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my strength, in whom I will trust.”
In Greene’s assessment, Washington’s greatness was not found in domination or self-promotion but in submission—submission first to God, then to principle.
Greene argues that Washington’s restraint became even more striking after the Revolution ended. Many, Greene says, expected Washington to seize power and make himself a king. Instead, Washington laid down his sword and returned to Mount Vernon. Greene recounts that King George III reportedly responded to that decision by saying, “If he does that, he will be the greatest man in the world.” The story underscores Greene’s theme: Washington held authority, but he did not cling to it.
Greene explains that Washington understood the chain of command. As commander in chief, Washington served under congressional authority—and, Greene adds, under God’s authority. That ordering of loyalties mattered when the war was over, because it allowed Washington to relinquish power without resentment. Greene’s point is that Washington’s title did not define him; his leadership flowed from a sense of duty and accountability.
To illustrate that attitude, Greene draws a parallel to Matthew 8:8–9. When Jesus offered to heal the centurion’s servant, the centurion responded with humility and with an understanding of authority. Greene quotes the passage and treats it as a lens for Washington’s leadership:
“Lord, I am not worthy that you should come under my roof, but only speak a word and my servant will be healed.
For I also am a man under authority, having soldiers under me. And I say to this one, go, and he goes. To another, come, and he comes. And to my servant, do this, and he does it.”
Greene’s argument is that Washington’s strength resembled the centurion’s clarity: he recognized that being “over” others in leadership first requires being “under” rightful authority.
Greene then points to Washington’s presidency as further evidence of a providential worldview. He says Washington frequently invoked God’s providence, and Greene quotes Washington’s first inaugural address with the statement that “no people can be bound to acknowledge and endure the invisible hand which conducts the affairs of men more than the people of the United States.” Greene also summarizes Washington’s farewell address as a warning that religion and morality are indispensable supports of political prosperity. In Greene’s phrasing, Washington warned that trying to maintain morality without faith is like building on sand.
Greene stresses that Washington was not a preacher, but he was a man of prayer and principle. Greene describes soldiers finding Washington alone in the woods, kneeling in prayer. He recounts a story of a Quaker who stumbled upon Washington near Valley Forge and later said:
“I heard a voice of supplication. I saw the commander in chief on his knees. I knew then that the cause of America was safe.”
Greene connects that story to Psalm 33:12, which he uses to summarize the spiritual foundation he believes Washington understood:
“Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people he has chosen as his own inheritance.”
With those examples in place, Greene draws his larger conclusion: Washington’s leadership was marked by restraint, humility, and conviction because he believed a republic cannot survive without virtuous citizens—and virtue cannot thrive apart from faith. Greene’s implication is that freedom and character are inseparable; where character erodes, liberty becomes vulnerable.
Greene closes by turning the lens toward the present. He argues that if Washington were alive today, he would recognize a nation “blessed beyond measure,” yet drifting from its moral anchor into chaos. Greene describes Americans as “selling their souls” by pursuing self rather than service, and comfort rather than character. He reinforces the urgency of that warning by repeating words he attributes to Washington:
“Human rights can be assured among a virtuous people. The general government can never be in danger of degenerating into despotism while there is any virtue in the body of the people.”
Greene’s final emphasis returns to the providential theme where he began: America’s liberty, he says, was born in prayer, preserved by providence, and must be sustained by faith. Washington’s life, as Greene presents it, is meant to point beyond history into practice—toward leaders and citizens who walk humbly, act justly, and depend fully on God.
Application
Greene does not leave Washington’s story in the museum. He calls for practical responses that match what he sees in Washington’s life and leadership.
Rediscover dependence on God. Greene urges prayer that is not limited to emergencies but practiced as daily communion with God—modeled after the way he describes Washington praying.
Practice virtue in public and private. Greene argues that integrity is not old-fashioned; it is the foundation of liberty. He also stresses that virtue cannot be forced. It must flow from conviction.
Teach children that freedom comes with responsibility. Greene encourages parents and leaders to connect freedom to righteousness and to prepare the next generation to value service over self.
To summarize Greene’s warning in biblical terms, he points to Proverbs 14:34:
“Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people.”
Greene’s closing encouragement is simple and urgent: keep “the light of providence” and “Patriot faith” burning by returning to prayer, strengthening personal character, and grounding civic life in faith.
TL;DR
Dr. Perry Greene argues that Washington’s most enduring legacy is his character—humility, restraint, and reliance on God’s providence.
Greene highlights Washington’s survival at the Battle of Monongahela (1755) as an early example of what Washington credited to Providence.
Greene recounts that four bullets pierced Washington’s coat and two horses were shot from under him, yet he lived.
Greene says a Native American chief later told Washington he believed Washington was protected by the Great Spirit and could not be killed in battle.
Greene points to the Battle of Long Island (1776) and a timely fog that allowed Washington to evacuate his army across the East River without losing a man.
Greene connects Washington’s trust in God to Psalm 18:2 and frames Washington’s greatness as submission to God and principle.
After the Revolution, Greene notes Washington refused to seize power, laid down his sword, and returned to Mount Vernon.
Greene says Washington emphasized God’s providence as president and warned that religion and morality are essential supports of political prosperity.
Greene calls for renewed prayer, personal integrity, and teaching children that freedom comes with responsibility rooted in righteousness (Proverbs 14:34).
Discussion Questions
According to Dr. Perry Greene, what does Washington’s survival in battle reveal about Washington’s understanding of God’s providence?
How does Greene connect Washington’s willingness to relinquish power after the Revolution to humility and submission to rightful authority?
What does Greene mean when he says virtue is necessary for a republic—and why does he argue virtue cannot thrive apart from faith?
Which part of Greene’s account of Washington’s prayer life stands out most, and what practical lesson does Greene draw from it?
In Greene’s warning about modern America drifting from its moral anchor, what changes in priorities does he say are most destructive to liberty?
Apply It This Week
Set a specific daily time for prayer this week, treating it as communion with God rather than an emergency-only practice.
Identify one integrity decision that needs strengthening (speech, work ethic, finances, relationships) and take one concrete step toward consistent virtue.
Choose one act of service that costs comfort—help a neighbor, volunteer, or encourage someone quietly—aiming for character over recognition.
Have one intentional conversation with a child or teenager about freedom and responsibility, linking rights to righteousness and self-governance.
Prayer Prompt
Lord, thank You for Your providence and for the lessons Dr. Perry Greene highlights from George Washington’s life. Strengthen faith, restore virtue, and help this nation pursue righteousness with humility and courage. Amen.