GOD'S WORD TO AMERICA'S COMPROMISED EVANGELICAL CHURCHES

With the shocking revelations of the moral sins of pastors of well-known mega churches, I am reminded of something the Lord said to me in 2015 shortly after the U.S. Supreme Court had legalized same-sex marriage.

It happened late one night as I sat in my chair grieving about America’s cultural descent into moral confusion and depravity. I also grieved at the feckless state of the Church, seemingly unable to stand against this tide of godlessness. I then heard the Lord speak clearly in my heart, “There is a lesson for today's Church from the life of Samson.”

As I then read and reread the life of Samson in Judges 16, it was clear that the word God wanted to speak to the Church concerned the word, “Consecration.” With the new and startling revelations of the moral failures of well-known Christian leaders, it seems appropriate and timely to share this message once again.

The Power of a Consecrated Life

Samson was consecrated as a Nazirite while in his mother’s womb. "Nazirite" comes from the Hebrew word Nazir meaning "consecrated" or "separated.” The Nazirite vow was a solemn commitment that Samson would live a “separated” life unto God, wholly dedicated to His purpose. The outward sign of this consecration was that he would never cut his hair.

So long as Samson lived in this consecration, he was invincible. He was able to face and overcome everything the enemies of God threw against him. On one occasion he alone killed a thousand Philistines with the jawbone of a donkey.

That his life of consecration was the secret of his power was made obvious when he compromised his consecration and lost his power. He compromised his consecration by consorting with a Philistine woman named Delilah and revealing to her the secret of his power. Falling asleep on her lap, she called in the Philistine warriors who cut off his hair while he slept.

When Samson compromised his consecration to God, he was no longer able to face the enemies of God. Shorn of his locks and his power, Samson was taken captive by the Philistines who gouged out his eyes, bound him with bronze fetters, and put him to work pushing a turnstile in a circle all day grinding grain. How the mighty had fallen!

Consecration Lacking in the Modern Church

When Jesus sent out His disciples to preach the Good News, He did not tell them to make people into Baptists, Presbyterians, Catholics or Assemblies of God. He did not tell them to make church members. They were, instead, to go and make disciples (Matthew 28:18-20).

It is easy to become a church member. It is not so easy to become a disciple. A “disciple” is a committed learner and follower. Consecration is required of a disciple. In Luke 14:33 Jesus said, So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple.

The cost of discipleship being absolute consecration to Him was made clear by Jesus on different occasions. For example, in Matthew 10:37-39 He exhorted the crowds,

He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who does not take his cross and follow Me is not worthy of Me. He who finds his life will lost it, and he who loses it for My sake will find it (Matthew 10:37-39).

Interestingly, neither Jesus or Paul ever used the word “Christian.” In fact, it is found only twice in the entire New Testament. Acts 11:26 reveals that “Christian” was a word first used by outsiders in referring to the disciples of Christ because their lives were so centered on Him. It reads, And the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch. 

Is it possible that today’s Church lacks the power to face down the rampant secularism and immorality engulfing our culture because, like Samson, we have compromised our consecration to God? Have we been focused on increasing church membership and gaining followers on social media rather than making real disciples of Jesus?

The scandals rocking so many mega churches and ministries are like the proverbial "tip of the iceberg" and they indicate that consecration is missing in both pulpit and pew. In the deceitfulness of our hearts, we have imagined that we could have gifts without fruit and power without purity. There is hope for America but there must come a widespread renewal of consecration among Christians throughout the land.

There is Still Hope for the American Church

Even in his weakened and broken state, there was hope for Samson. Judges 16:22 tells how Samson’s hair began to grow as he toiled day after day in the prison. This was an outward sign that there was a renewal of his Nazirite consecration to God.

Then one day, during a festive celebration attended by thousands in a massive theater, the Philistines brought out Samson to entertain the gathered throng as an object of mirth and ridicule. He was forced to “perform” for the crowd so they could revel in the humiliation and devastation of their archenemy who had caused them so much pain.

What the Philistines did not realize was that Samson’s hair had grown back—at least to a degree. His consecration had been renewed and there would now be one final display of God’s power through him.

Like Samson, when the Church compromises its consecration and loses its power, it becomes an object of mirth and ridicule to this world. We will not gain the respect of contemporary culture by compromising with it, but by standing firm in our consecration to God and commitment to His truth. He will then confirm His message with demonstrations of His power in our midst, as He did with Samson.

After being taunted, mocked, and ridiculed, a young lad led the blind and broken Samson to a place between the two giant pillars that supported the stadium. Samson placed a hand on each pillar, and prayed, Strengthen me, I pray, just this once, O God!

Samson no longer feared death. He wanted victory again more than life itself. As he pushed against the two pillars with all his might, he cried out to God, Let me die with the Philistines! The two pillars gave way, and the stadium came crashing down killing thousands of Philistines, and Samson with them.

God Has More for Us

Judges 16:30 tells us that Samson killed more Philistines at this death than in his life. In a similar way, I believe the American church could see a mighty outpouring of God’s Spirit that could exceed all the Awakenings that have occurred in her young history.

We know America is not destined to last forever but will someday come to an end. However, God raised up America for a purpose and it was made very clear to me in September of 2010 that He is not yet finished with America. 

At that time, I saw clearly that America “could” see another Great Awakening that would revive the churches of America, impact the culture, and stem the tide of secularism and immorality that is flooding the land. I documented all this in the book, America's Revival Heritage.  

Those past Awakenings, however, began with renewals of consecration. Jonathan Edwards was grieved by the immorality and spiritual indifference he saw all around him. He came to the place where he desired a heaven-sent revival more that life itself, and he prayed to God with great passion, “Give me New England or let me die.”

What came of that consecration and prayer was a revival that became known as the “Great Awakening” because entire cities and towns were suddenly awakened to the realities of eternity, sin, heaven, hell, and salvation through Christ. As documented in my book, 1726: The Year that Defined America, this Awakening had a direct bearing on both the founding of America and the ending of slavery on this continent.

Yes, we can see another national Awakening, but it will require a renewal of consecration as expressed in the well-known hymn, “I Surrender All.”

All to Jesus I surrender
Humbly at His feet I bow
Worldly pleasures all forsaken
Take me, Jesus, take me now

I surrender all
I surrender all
All to Thee my blessed Savior
I surrender all

Dr. Eddie Hyatt is an author, Bible teacher, and revivalist who is convinced that God is not finished with America. This article is derived from his books, 1726:The Year that Defined America and America's Revival Heritage, Second Edition, available from Amazon and his website at http://eddiehyatt.com.

CONFRONTING THE "SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE" MYTH

Why Thomas Jefferson Would Agree with Governor Jeff Landry

On Wednesday June 19, Governor Jeff Landry of Louisiana signed into law a bill requiring the Ten Commandments to be displayed in all public schools. Secular organizations like the ACLU immediately threatened lawsuits because, according to them, it violates the “separation of church and state.”

However, the phrase “Separation of Church and State” is nowhere to be found in America’s founding documents. It was never used by any of the Founders. It is a myth created by anti-Christian activists who want to purge the nation of its Christian heritage.

A Distortion of Jefferson’s Words

The phrase is a distortion of Jefferson’s words in a letter to the Danbury Baptist Association of Connecticut dated January 1, 1802. In the letter, Jefferson addressed their concerns about how they would be treated in the new nation.

They had reason for concern for, throughout Europe, the Baptists had been an outlawed Christian sect, severely persecuted by the state and the state-sanctioned churches, both Catholic and Protestant. They were imprisoned and put to death because they refused to conform to the official church doctrines and practices imposed by the state.

In his response, President Jefferson quoted that part of the First Amendment which reads, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof." He assured the Baptists that this meant that, in America, a "wall of separation” had been erected that would protect them from the intrusion of the state.

Jefferson’s “wall of separation” was obviously unidirectional, in place to keep the government out of the church, not to keep God out of the government. His own actions affirm this, for as president, he took money from the federal treasury to pay for a missionary to the Kaskaskia Indian tribe and to build a church building for them in which to worship (Hyatt, 1726: The Year that Defined America, 149).

The View of the Founders is Clear

The words and deeds of the Founders make it clear that they never intended a “separation of church and state.” When George Washington took the first presidential oath of office with his hand on "Bible" and swore to protect and defend the "Constitution," it expressed his belief that only the Bible, including the Ten Commandments, provided the moral and intellectual underpinnings for a stable and prosperous nation. 

Demonstrating that they had no intention of separating God from government, the day after ratifying the First Amendment, the Founders proclaimed a National Day of Thanksgiving and Prayer. They did not want an official, state church like the nations of Europe, but they had no intention of eliminating God from the public square.

John Adams expressed the consensus of the Founders when he said, “Our Constitution was made only for a religious and moral people. It is wholly inadequate for the government of any other" (Hyatt, 1726: The Year that Defined America, 168). Their position was also confirmed by Justice Joseph Story (1779-1845) who served as a Supreme Court Justice for 34 years from 1811-1845. Commenting on the First Amendment, Story said,

We are not to attribute this prohibition of a national religious establishment to an indifference in religion, and especially to Christianity, which none could hold in more reverence than the framers of the Constitution (Hyatt, 1726: The Year that Defined America, 152).

The Summation of the Matter

Governor Jeff Landy is to be applauded for his courage and insight. The removal of prayer, Bible reading, and Christian symbols from the classrooms, beginning in 1963, has led to an abysmal and deadly deterioration of both morals and academics. America’s root problem is neither political or economic, but spiritual and moral. God bless Governor Jeff Landry for taking steps to get at the root of the problem. Thomas Jefferson would wholeheartedly agree!

Dr. Eddie Hyatt is an author, Bible teacher, and revivalist who is convinced that God is not finished with America. This article is derived from his book, 1726: The Year that Defined America, available from Amazon and his website at http://eddiehyatt.com.

THE STORY BEHIND THE BOOK

“This book should be required reading in every school and college in America” is a comment I often hear from those who have read 1726: The Year that Defined America. This book, published in 2019, is the product of two significant encounters with God, which made me to know that He is not finished with America.

The First Encounter

It began on September 18, 2010, at a time when I had given up hope that America would ever see another great, national spiritual awakening. I had written about such revivals in my book, 2000 Years of Charismatic Christianity, but my experience with revival over the previous 20 years had robbed me of hope of seeing it happen again. I had decided that God was finished with America.

However, as I pulled on to Highway 51 to begin a two-hour drive from Tulsa to Kingfisher, Oklahoma, I had a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Suddenly, I felt that I was enveloped in God’s presence and was hardly aware of my surroundings. At the same time, my mind began to be flooded with thoughts of hope and faith that America “could” see another Great Awakening that would revive the churches of America, impact the culture, and stem the tide of secularism and immorality that was flooding the land.

By the time I arrived at my hotel I could hardly wait to get settled in my room and begin writing down the thoughts and ideas that continued to flood my heart and mind. This experience lasted for another five hours, and for the first time I saw that the First Great Awakening had a direct bearing on the founding of this nation and that “revival” is in our national DNA.

My hope for America was renewed and it was now clear to me that God was not finished with America. Out of that experience I wrote the book, America’s Revival Heritage, in which I documented the pervasive impact of the Great Awakening and how it had a direct bearing on the founding of America. It was published in 2012 and very well received.

The Second Encounter

During the summer of 2019 I began experiencing a deep stirring in my spirit to do what seemed a 2nd edition of America’s Revival Heritage and include a new chapter on how the Great Awakening also had a direct bearing on the ending of slavery on this continent.

As I began the project, I was amazed at the historical resources that providentially came into my hands. There was so much new material, in fact, that it soon became clear that this was a new book, not a 2nd edition of my previous book.

At this same time, I read of the “1619 Project” of the New York Times, that is now being taught in schools throughout America. The author claims that 1619, when the first African slaves arrived in America, was the real founding of America, not 1776. According to this author, America became defined by slavery and is evil and racist at her very core and in need of fundamental change.

When I read this, I knew that what I was writing was significant and timely. My heart shouted, “No! America was not defined by 1619! America was defined by 1726.”

1726 is the year the Great Awakening began, and I was able to document the moral outrage against slavery that arose out of this revival and the impact it had on America’s founding fathers. Indeed, the positive forces unleashed by 1726 overcame the negativity that emerged out of 1619.

I therefore titled the new book, 1726, with the subtitle, The Year that Defined America. As a result of 1726, America became defined as a land of Faith and Freedom. As a result of 1726, America was able to defeat slavery, Jim Crow, and so many other political and social ills. 1726 tells the story of America that is left out of modern textbooks.

My Vision for the Book

The Pulitzer Prize winning historian, Carl Sandburg, wrote of the dangers of a nation forgetting its heritage. He wrote,

When a nation goes down, or a society perishes, one condition may always be found; they forgot where they came from. They lost sight of what had brought them along.

On July 4th, America will celebrate her 248th birthday. There has never been a time like this where there is an all-out effort to destroy and demonize America’s past. This is why I am doubling my efforts to get 1726 into the hands of as many people as possible this July 4th holiday season.

Dr. Eddie Hyatt has a passion to see America reclaim her birthright as a nation of Faith and Freedom, birthed in the fires of a Great Awakening that transformed Colonial America. His books on the topic, including 1726, are available from Amazon and his website at http://eddiehyatt.com.

WOMEN, THE BIBLE, AND THE SOUTHERN BAPTIST CONVENTION

Sixty-one percent of the delegates at the Southern Baptist Convention in Indianapolis voted for a Constitutional ban on all churches that have a woman on staff with the title of pastor. The vote, however, fell short of the required two-thirds majority necessary for a constitutional amendment.

The amendment would not have changed the SBC’s position on women pastors but would have added teeth for enforcing their position. Their position is still that put forth last year by the executive staff, which quoted Paul’s words in I Timothy 2:12, that, I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man.

Based on a superficial reading of this passage, the executive staff then declared that Paul, “Concludes women cannot have a pastoral position, or perform the pastoral function, for that puts them in authority over men in the life of the church.”

The “Authority Myth”

Based on this “authority myth,” this year’s convention expelled the First Baptist Church of Alexandria, VA from their fellowship because of their embrace of women pastors. They also voted not to accept the requests for reinstatement from Saddleback Church in southern California and Fern Creek Baptist Church in Louisville, both of which were excommunicated for having women pastors.

For the SBC, and all churches that ban women from leadership roles, “authority” is the central issue. The titles may change, but authority is still the issue. For example, one mega church allows women to be pastors but does not allow them to be on their board of elders because the elders govern their church and “women cannot function in governing authority.”

This authority myth is, however, dispelled when we take a closer look at Paul’s words in I Timothy 2:12 and when we look at what Jesus said about authority in the Church.

The Greek Word for “Authority”

The Greek word for "authority" in the New Testament is exousia, and it is found 102 times in the Greek New Testament, and numerous other times in its verb and other cognate forms. For example, Mark 7:29 says that the people were astonished at the teaching of Jesus, For He taught them as one having authority (exousia) and not as the scribes. Not once in the entire New Testament is a woman told she cannot exercise exousia.

Those who would ban women from the pastorate immediately point to I Timothy 2:12, which says, I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man. However, the word translated “authority” in this verse is not exousia. It is the word authentein and is found only here in the entire New Testament.

The fact that it is used only here should cause us to pause and question why that would be the case. Why would Paul use this strange Greek word that neither he nor any New Testament writer ever uses? It certainly indicates that Paul is not addressing the normal exercise of authority in the church. Paul is obviously using this strange word to address the unique situation Timothy is confronting in Ephesus (Hyatt, Who Says Women Can’t Pastor, 16-31)

Jesus and Authority

Jesus made it clear that leadership in His kingdom is not about authority. He made this clear when James and John asked for the two most prominent seats in His kingdom—one on His right hand and the other on His left.

When the ten heard about it they were angry, for they wanted those positions of authority. As strife erupted among them over the issue of “authority,” Jesus rebuked them and told them they were thinking like the heathen. He said,

You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them and those who are great exercise authority (exousia) over them and their great ones lord it over them. Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant (diakonos).

The word that Jesus said must characterize leaders in His movement is the Greek noun diakonos. In first century Israel, a diakonos was a household servant who did the bidding of his/her master. Thayer’s Greek-English Lexicon defines a diakonos as “those who advance other’s interests even at the sacrifice of their own.”

In other words, diakonos designates one who is a servant and is the very antithesis of “office,” “authority,” and “power.” Jesus thus steers the Twelve away from thinking of their ministry in terms of hierarchy and authority to thinking of it in terms of humble service. The late Catholic reformer, Dr. Hans Kung, wrote,

In the New Testament, not only is the word ‘hierarchy’ consistently and deliberately avoided, but so too are all secular words for ‘office’ in connection with church functions, as they express a relationship of power. Instead of this, an all-encompassing term, diakonia, service (really ‘serving at table’), is used, which can nowhere evoke associations with any authority, control or position of dignity and power (Hyatt, Who Says WomenCan’t Pastor, 41).

The Conclusion of the Matter

Modern churches, such as the SBC, who make authority the central issue, are at odds with both Jesus and Paul. Neither made “authority” the central issue for functioning in church leadership, including pastoral ministry.

The idea that women cannot function in authoritative roles is doctrinally unsound and harmful to the mission of the Church. While much of the Church languishes in defeat, spiritual gifts are being quenched and voices are being muzzled. This is tragic! The world will never see a fully functioning body of Christ until she embraces the gifts and callings in all her members, including the women.

For a thorough discussion of the controversial issue of women pastors, see Dr. Eddie Hyatt’s book, Who Says Women Can’t PastorWho Says Women Can’t Pastor, available from Amazon and his website at http://eddiehyatt.com.

SAMUEL ADAMS PROCLAIMS A DAY OF FASTING, HUMILIATION AND PRAYER

Samuel Adams Proclamation
(February 28, 1795)

Commonwealth of Massachusetts

By the Governor

A Proclamation

For a Day of PUBLIC FASTING, HUMILIATION and PRAYER

THE supreme Ruler of the Universe, having been pleased, in the course of His Providence, to establish the Independence of the United States of America, and to cause them to assume their rank, amount the nations of the Earth, and bless them with Liberty, Peace and Plenty; we ought to be led by Religious feelings of Gratitude; and to walk before Him, in all Humility, according to His most Holy Law. - But, as the depravity of our Hearts has, in so many instances drawn us aside from the path of duty, so that we have frequently offended our Divine and Merciful Benefactor; it is therefore highly incumbent on us, according to the ancient and laudable practice of our pious Ancestors, to open the year by a public and solemn Fast. - That with true repentance and contrition of Heart, we may unitedly implore the forgiveness of our Sins, through the merits of Jesus Christ, and humbly supplicate our Heavenly Father, to grant us the aids of His Grace, for the amendment of our Hearts and Lives, and vouchsafe His smiles upon our temporal concerns:

I HAVE therefore thought fit to appoint, and with the advice and consent of the Council, I do hereby appoint Thursday, the Second Day of April next, to be observed as a Day of Public Fasting, Humiliation and Prayer throughout this Commonwealth: - Calling upon the Ministers of the Gospel, of every Denomination, with their respective Congregations, to assemble on that Day, and devoutly implore the Divine forgiveness of our Sins, - To pray that the Light of the Gospel, and the rights of Conscience, may be continued to the people of United America; and that His Holy Word may be improved by them, so that the name of God may be exalted, and their own Liberty and Happiness secured. - That He would be graciously pleased to bless our Federal Government; that by a wise administration, it may be a sure guide and safe protection in national concerns, for the people who have established, and who support it - That He would continue to us the invaluable Blessings of Civil Liberty; guarding us against intestine commotions; and enabling the United States, in the exercise of such Governmental powers, as are devolved upon them, so that the honor and dignity of our Nation, upon the Sea and the Land, may be supported, and Peace with the other Powers of the World, upon safe and honorable terms, may be maintained.

That he would direct the administration of our Federal and State Governments, so that the lives, liberties and property of all the Citizens, and the just rights of the People, as Men and Citizens, may be forever acknowledged, and at all times defended, by Constitutions, founded upon equal rights; and by good and wholesome Laws, wisely and judiciously administered and duly executed.

That he would enable Legislators and Magistrates of this Commonwealth, to discharge the important duties incumbent on them, that the People may have good reason to feel themselves happy and safe, and lead quiet and peaceable lives in all Godliness and Honesty.

That He would incline the Natives of the Wilderness, to listen to reasonable offers of Peace, that tranquility and security may be established on the Frontiers Of our Country; - That He would graciously regard the Lives and Health of the People of this and our sister States, and preserve them from contagious and wasting diseases: To crown the ensuing Year with Plenty and Prosperity, by his blessing on our Husbandry, our Fisheries, our Commerce, and all the labor of our Hands - to affect our minds with a sense of our entire dependence upon Him, and of His great goodness towards us, that when we may present ourselves before Him, at the close of the Year, with our thank - offerings, our Hearts may by His grace, be prepared to do it in a manner acceptable to Him.

That He would be graciously pleased to establish the French Republic, and prosper others who are contending for the Rights of Men, and dispose all Nations to favor the same principles, and return to Peace and Friendship.

That He would in his great Mercy, remember the unhappy state of our Fellow-Citizens and others, who are groaning under bondage, in a foreign Land. That He would soften the Hearts of those who have led them captive, inclining that People to show them favor during their Captivity, and in His own due time open a door for their relief: - And finally, that He would over-rule all the confusions that are in the Earth, of the speedy establishment of the Redeemer's Kingdom, which consisteth in Righteousness and Peace.

And I do recommend to the People of this Commonwealth, to abstain from all unnecessary Labor and Recreation on the said Day.

GIVEN at the Council-Chamber, in Boston, this Twenty-eighth Day of February, in the Year of our Lord, One Thousand Seven Hundred and Ninety-five, and in the Nineteenth Year of the Independence of the United States of America.

SAMUEL ADAMS

Attest: John Avery, jun. Secretary

GOD save the COMMONWEALTH of MASSACHUSETTS!

To learn more about America's Founding Fathers and their Faith, check out the books by Dr. Eddie Hyatt, especially 1726: The Year that Defined America, available from Amazon and his website at http://eddiehyatt.com.

WHAT DONALD TRUMP AND MIKE JOHNSON CAN DO TO SAVE AMERICA

If America is to be saved at this crucial time in her history, it will take more than political activism and social engagement. There must be, as the founding generation put it, “an appeal to heaven.” There must be a call for a national day of “humiliation and prayer.”

Although this should come from the sitting president, it is not going to happen with the Joe Biden administration. Biden’s Democrat party has affirmed atheism and disowned Biblical Christianity and is too embarrassed to call the nation to serious prayer.

On the other hand, both Donald J. Trump, the Republican candidate for president, and Mike Johnson, the Speaker of the House, have demonstrated that they believe in the power of prayer. They should, therefore, take the lead in issuing a proclamation that calls the American people to prayer. Such a proclamation will be consistent with a long prayer tradition as delineated below.

The Pilgrims Pray

In 1621 the Pilgrims were experiencing unusually hot weather for New England and had not seen rain for months. Their crops were withering, and it looked as though hunger and even starvation could be their lot. It was at this time that William Bradford set aside a day for what he called “humiliation and prayer.”

By humiliation he did not mean a groveling or self-flagellation, but an acknowledgement of their own inadequacy and how much they needed God’s help. Their day of prayer began like so many others, stifling hot and not a cloud in the sky. However, before the day was over the sky clouded over and it began to rain with no wind, thunder, or lightning.

Their crops were saved, and they had an abundant harvest that fall, which led to the first American Thanksgiving. For every seemingly impossible situation they faced, the Pilgrims would set aside a day for “humiliation and prayer,” and it became the American way of addressing problems and challenges.

Congress and Washington Pray

 When the First Continental Congress met on September 5, 1774, they opened with an extended time of Bible reading and prayer. They were led by Rev. Jacob Duche of Philadelphia who read the entire 35th Psalm and then began praying for America, which was being invaded by the British whose troops had occupied the city of Boston and closed its port.

As he began praying, the Anglicans in the room, such as George Washington, Richard Henry Lee, and Patrick Henry, knelt according to their custom. Puritans and Quakers sat with bowed heads, but they were all in agreement as they made their appeal to heaven. It was a powerful and moving moment and John Adams wrote to his wife, Abigail, back in Boston, saying,

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 (Hyatt, 1726: The Year that Defined America, 108).

During the Revolutionary War, the Congress issued no less than 15 separate calls for special days of prayer and humiliation. 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, Repentance, and Humiliation.” It reads, in part,

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 (Hyatt, 1726: The Year that Defined America, 116-17).

There was an amazing change of circumstances after this, so much so, that 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.” The Congress then listed seven different accomplishments of God on the behalf of the nation, including,

Many instances of prowess and success in our armies and great abundance of the fruits of the earth of every kind, as not only to enable us to easily supply the wants of the army but gives comfort and happiness to the whole people (Hyatt, Pilgrims and Patriots, Second Edition, 122).

Prayer continued to be a daily part of the proceedings of the Continental Congresses. When, years later, in 1787, Benjamin Franklin called the delegates of the Constitutional Convention to prayer, he reminded them how they had had daily prayers in that room for God’s help against the British. Addressing the Convention president, George Washington, he then said, “Our prayers, sir, were heard and they were graciously answered” (Hyatt, 1726:The Year that Defined America, 141).

Later that same year, 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 received of Almighty God . . . (Hyatt, 1726: The Year that Defined America, 109).

Yes, prayer played a vital role in the founding of America. The Catholic scholar, the late Michael Novak, was correct in saying, “In all moments of imminent danger, as in the first Act of the First Continental Congress, the founding generation turned to prayer.”

Abraham Lincoln Calls the Nation to Prayer

In the midst of a horrible Civil War with tens of thousands dyeing on American soil, President Abraham Lincoln tapped into America’s prayer tradition and proclaimed a National Day of Prayer and Humiliation. In this proclamation, he lamented that the nation had completely misinterpreted the blessings she had been given. He said,

We have vainly imagined, in the deceitfulness of our hearts, that all these blessings were produced by some superior wisdom and virtue of our own. Intoxicated with unbroken success, we have become too self-sufficient to feel the necessity of redeeming and preserving grace, too proud to pray to the God that made us!

He also expressed confidence that if they would meet the Divine conditions laid out in passages, such as II Chronicles 7:14, they could rest assured that God would hear their prayers. He said,

All this being done, in sincerity and truth, let us then rest humbly in the hope authorized by the Divine teachings, that the united cry of the nation will be heard on high and answered with blessing no less than the pardon of our national sins and the restoration of our now divided and suffering country to its former happy condition of unity and peace (Hyatt, 1726: The Year that Defined America1726: The Year that Defined America, 186).

The nation responded to Lincoln’s call for a day of prayer, humiliation, and the confession of national sins. And whereas the war had been going badly for the North and the American Union was in danger of being shattered, after this day of prayer, everything changed. The tide turned and the American Union was saved.

Trump and Johnson Can Save America

America 2024 is reeling with political and ideological chaos and the only thing that will save her is another national appeal to heaven. Sadly, I have no confidence that those of the Democrat Party will be involved, or even support, such an event. The ideal agents for convening such an event are Donald J. Trump and Mike Johnson, joined by members of the Senate and Congress and respected leaders of every denomination.

We understand that everyone will not participate, and many will oppose and ridicule. Nonetheless, if Trump and Johnson will take the initiative and proclaim such a day of prayer, I am confident that enough people will participate so as to create a spiritual and moral tipping point that may well change history and save America.

Dr. Eddie Hyatt is the author of numerous books including, 1726: The Year that Defined America,  which documents how the First Great Awakening had a direct bearing on the founding of America and the ending of slavery on this continent, His books are available from Amazon and his website at http://eddiehyatt.com.