May 11, 1861---"Out of the hand of the wicked..."

MAY 11, 1861:    

The Southern Baptist Convention is held in Savannah, Georgia. The events begin with a reading of Psalm 71, a scriptural passage that invokes God’s wrath against the enemies of righteousness. The passage is applied to the United States and reads in part: “Deliver me, O my God, out of the hand of the wicked, out of the hand of the unrighteous and cruel man … Let them be confounded and consumed that are adversaries to my soul; let them be covered with reproach and dishonour that seek my hurt …”