This
Thursday is the National Day of Prayer when thousands will gather in churches, homes
and other venues to pray for America. Although instituted by Congress and
signed into law by President Harry Truman in 1952, the National Day of Prayer has
a long and stunning history going back to the first immigrants to this land.
Jamestown
- 1607
Upon their arrival off the coast of Virginia, Rev.
Robert Hunt led the Jamestown settlers in three days of prayer and repentance to prepare their hearts for dedicating the land of their new home to
God. When they finally disembarked on April 29, 1607, their first act was to
erect a seven-foot oak cross they had brought from England. They then gathered
around the cross for a prayer service in which they dedicated the land of their
new home to God.
The
Pilgrims and Puritans – 1600s
Before the Pilgrims departed Holland in July 1620 for the
New World, they set apart an entire day to pray and ask God’s blessing on their
venture of faith. William Bradford said that after their pastor, John Robinson,
brought an exhortation from Scripture, “The rest
of the time was spent in pouring our prayers to the Lord with great fervency,
mixed with abundance of tears” (Hyatt, Pilgrims and Patriots, 23-24).
The summer of 1623 was a long, hot summer for the Pilgrims, with no rain. As the crops began to wither and
die, it looked as though hunger and even starvation could be their lot. Governor
William Bradford, therefore, set aside a day for “prayer and humiliation” to
seek the Lord’s help in their time of need.
That day of prayer began like others before it, very
hot and not a cloud in the sky. However, before the day was over it clouded
over and began to rain—a gentle rain without wind, lightning or thunder. The
Lord gave them “a gracious and speedy answer,” Bradford said, “both to their
own and the Indian’s admiration that lived among them” (Hyatt, Pilgrims and Patriots, 35).
The Pilgrims, and the Puritans who followed them, often
set aside special days for prayer, fasting and thanksgiving. This prayer habit
became a part of the cultural experience of New England and was practiced by
succeeding generations. From there, it found its way into the American culture.
Philadelphia 1741
For example, in 1741 Philadelphia
became concerned about their safety since Britain was at war with Spain at the
time. Although they were a British colony, there were no British soldiers to
protect them from marauding Spanish ships that could well pass their way.
Benjamin
Franklin, a leading citizen of the city, proposed that the Assembly and civic
leaders issue a call for a day of prayer and fasting, “to implore the blessing
of Heaven on our undertaking.” He wrote,
They
embraced the motion; but as it was the first fast ever thought of in the
province, the secretary had no precedent from which to draw the proclamation.
My education in New England, where a fast is proclaimed every year, was here of
some advantage. I drew it in the accustomed style, it was translated into
German, printed in both languages, and divulged through the province (Hyatt, The Faith & Vision of Benjamin Franklin,
39).
Franklin
and all of Pennsylvania, including government officials, thus participated in a
day of prayer and fasting, imploring God’s blessing and protection on their
colony.
The
Colonists Pray for Spiritual Awakening – 1700s
The Great Awakening that erupted in 1726 was preceded by special
days set aside for prayer and fasting by both churches and regional governments. William Cooper, a pastor from New
England, recalled that the churches had “set apart days, wherein to seek the
Lord by prayer and fasting." In addition to the prayer of the churches, Cooper
said there were “annual fast days appointed by the government” (Hyatt, Pilgrims and Patriots, 75).
God answered these prayers and a Great Awakening swept
across Colonial America. In his Autobiography,
Benjamin Franklin tells of the change that came over his hometown of
Philadelphia when George Whitefield preached there in 1739. He wrote,
The multitudes of all sects and denominations that attended his sermons
were enormous, and it was a matter of speculation to me, who was one of the
number, to observe the extraordinary influence of his oratory on his hearers.
From being thoughtless or indifferent about religion, it seemed as if all the
world were growing religious so that one could not walk through the town in an
evening without hearing psalms sung in different families of every street
(Hyatt, Pilgrims and Patriots, 102).
Similar reports emerged from Georgia to New England of
entire communities being transformed by the Awakening. In New England, Jonathan
Edwards, pastor of the Congregational Church in Northampton, MA, reported that
“the entire town seemed to full of the presence of God.” Prayer could be heard,
not just at church, but in homes and everywhere one went in the town. A spirit
of prayer seemed to be unleashed throughout Colonial America.
The
First Continental Congress Begins With Prayer - 1774
It is, therefore, no great surprise that the First
Continental Congress, that met for the first time on September 5, 1774, opened
with an extended time of Bible reading and prayer. They began with a reading of the entire 35th Psalm, which powerfully impacted everyone
present.
As the Psalm was read, a unique sense of God’s presence
filled the room and tears flowed from many eyes. John Adams wrote to his wife,
Abigail, of the impact of the Bible reading and prayer on the delegates. He
said,
Who can realize the emotions with
which they turned imploringly to heaven for divine
interposition and aid. It was enough to melt a heart of stone. I never saw a
greater effect upon an audience. It seems as if heaven had ordained that Psalm
to be read that day. I saw tears gush into the eyes of the old, grave pacific
Quakers of Philadelphia. I must beg you to read that Psalm (Hyatt, Pilgrims and Patriots, 122).
The
Congress and the Nation Pray
Prayer continued to be a daily part of the proceedings of
the Continental Congresses. When, years later, Benjamin Franklin called the
delegates of the Constitutional Convention to prayer, he reminded them, “In the
beginning of the contest with Great Britain, when we were sensible to danger,
we had daily prayers in this room for Divine protection” (Hyatt, Pilgrims and Patriots, 144).
During the Revolutionary War, the Congress issued no less
than fifteen separate calls for special days of prayer and fasting. For
example, during the fall of 1776, when the morale of the army and populace had
sunk to an all-time low because of a poor harvest and hardship on the
battlefield, Congress proclaimed December 11, 1776, as a Day of Fasting and
Repentance.
Jonathan Witherspoon, a Presbyterian Reformer and member
of the Congress, was deputized to write the proclamation, which was then
approved by the rest of the Congress. It reads, in part,
WHEREAS, the war in which the United States are engaged
with Great Britain, has not only been prolonged, but is likely to be carried to
the greatest extremity; and whence it becomes all public bodies, as well as
private persons, to reverence the Providence of God, and look up to him as the
supreme disposer of all events, and the arbiter of the fate of nations;
therefore; RESOLVED, That it be recommended to all the United States, as soon
as possible, to appoint a day of solemn fasting and humiliation; to implore of
Almighty God the forgiveness of the many sins prevailing among all ranks, and
to beg the assistance of his Providence in the prosecution of the present just
and necessary war.
There was an amazing change of circumstances after this with
successes on the battlefield and the reaping of abundant harvests. There was,
in fact, such a turnaround that in 1779
Congress issued a proclamation setting aside a day of thanksgiving,
because “it hath pleased Almighty God, the father of mercies, remarkably to
assist and support the United States of America in their important struggle for
liberty.”
Yes, the founding generation saw answers to their
prayers. Indeed, when Franklin called the Constitutional Convention to prayer
in 1787, he not only reminded them of the daily prayer during the War, but also
that the prayers were answered. Addressing the Convention president, George
Washington, he said, “Our prayers, sir, were heard and they were graciously
answered” (Hyatt, Pilgrims and Patriots,
144).
Washington
Makes Prayer a Vital Part of the Colonial Army
The Second Continental Congress, which convened on May 10, 1775, asked George Washington to become commander-in-chief
of the ragtag Colonial militias and to transform them into an army that could
face the mighty British war machine.
Almost immediately, Washington issued an order that each
day was to begin with prayer led by the officers of each unit. He also ordered that, unless their duties required
them to be elsewhere, every soldier was to observe, “a punctual
attendance of Divine services, to implore the blessing of heaven upon the means
used for our safety and public defense.”
Washington also issued an order forbidding profanity and
drunkenness; and in a general letter to his troops, he said, “The
General hopes and trusts that every officer and man will endeavor to live and
act as becomes a Christian soldier.”
That Washington himself was a devout
person of prayer was confirmed by Isaac Potts, a Quaker who lived near Valley
Forge, Pennsylvania, when the Continental Army, led by Washington, was
wintering there under much duress in 1777-78. Potts was a pacifist who opposed
the war until he had a life-changing experience while riding through the woods
one day during, perhaps, the bleakest period of the war. He said,
I heard a
plaintive sound as of a man at prayer. I tied my horse to a sapling and went
quietly into the woods and to my astonishment I saw
the great George Washington on his knees alone, with his sword on one
side and his cocked hat on the other. He was at Prayer to the God of the Armies, beseeching to interpose with his Divine
aid, as it was ye Crisis, and the cause of the country, of humanity and of the
world. Such a prayer I never heard from the lips of man. I left him alone
praying. I went home and told my wife I saw a sight and heard today what I
never saw or heard before, and just related to her what I had seen and heard
and observed. We never thought a man could be a soldier and a Christian, but if
there is one in the world, it is Washington (Hyatt, Pilgrims and Patriots, 129).
Washington’s
Earnest Prayer for America
The
many prayers were heard and the unthinkable happened: The American Colonists
defeated the mighty British army. The War officially ended on October 19, 1781
when General Cornwallis surrendered his entire force to Washington. In
customary fashion, Cornwallis turned his sword over to Washington, and the
weaponry of his troops was stacked in neat piles. As this occurred the British
band played, “The World Turned Upside Down.” For freedom-loving people
everywhere, however, the world had been turned right side up.
Having completed his call, Washington issued a letter of
resignation as Commander-In-Chief to the Continental Congress. Then, he wrote
what could be described as a pastoral letter, dated June 14, 1783, to the
governors of the various states. This letter
included his “earnest prayer” that is here quoted in part. He wrote,
I
now make it my earnest prayer that God would have you,
and the State over which you preside, in his holy protection; that he would
incline the hearts of the citizens . . . to entertain a brotherly affection and
love for one another . . . and to demean ourselves with that charity, humility,
and pacific temper of mind, which were the characteristics of the Divine Author
of our blessed religion, and without a humble imitation of His example in these
things, we can never hope to be a happy nation (Hyatt, Pilgrims and Patriots, 129).
After being sworn in as president, George Washington issued a
proclamation designating November 26, 1789 as a Day of Thanksgiving. The
proclamation assumes the obligation of all citizens to honor God and to pray
for His protection and favor. It opened with the following statement.
Whereas it is the duty of all Nations to acknowledge the providence of
Almighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful for
his benefits, and humbly to implore his protection and favor, and whereas both
Houses of Congress have by their joint Committee requested me to recommend to
the People of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer to be
observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many signal favors of
Almighty God . . ..
Prayer
is American
Yes, prayer played a vital role in the founding of
America. William Novak is correct when he says, “In all moments of imminent
danger, as in the first Act of the First
Continental Congress, the founding generation turned to prayer” (Hyatt, Pilgrims and Patriots, 120).
Seeing the vital role of prayer in the founding of this
nation, let us not be intimidated by the assertion that prayer is somehow
inappropriate for public or political venues. Let us be bold in our faith. Let
us be salt and light in this generation. Let us pray. It is the godly thing to
do! IT IS THE AMERICAN THING TO DO!
This article is derived from Dr. Eddie Hyatt's book, Pilgrims and Patriots, available from Amazon and his website at www.eddiehyatt.com. Dr. Hyatt believes this is the time for "America's Reawakening" and he has created a PowerPoint presentation with that title in which he documents America's birth out of prayer and spiritual awakening. To schedule him for your church, group or event, send an email to dreddiehyatt@gmail.com.
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