On May 17, thousands of Americans are expected to assemble on the National Mall, in Washington, D.C., to participate in “Rededicate 250: National Jubilee of Prayer, Praise and Thanksgiving.”
This historic gathering is part of the Trump administration’s yearlong prayer campaign and celebration of America’s 250th birthday, culminating on July 4—Independence Day.
Citizens from every state in the Union are expected to gather near the Lincoln Memorial to prayerfully give thanks for God’s blessings and providence for the United States since her founding in 1776. Americans will also be praying for God’s ongoing protection and direction for our country as well as seeking His forgiveness for our nation’s many sins.
I’m grateful for a president who will boldly call our nation to seek the Lord Almighty through prayer and worship. In a proclamation dated Jan. 29, 2026, President Donald J. Trump declared: “The Bible teaches: ‘In all circumstances give thanks.’ As such, it is fitting that we mark this special year as a unique occasion to celebrate our proud history, reflect on our abundant blessings, pray for our country and our people, and rededicate ourselves as one Nation under God.”
Please join me in praying for America this month through July 4. Visit OneNationUnderGod.com beginning May 14 and for the following 50 days as a pastor from each state shares Scripture and leads a daily prayer for our nation.
It was my honor and privilege to pray alongside President Trump last month at the White House during an Easter week luncheon. Together, we thanked God for sacrificing His Son on a cross to pay our sin debt and raising Jesus from death to life everlasting, so that whoever believes in Him can have eternal victory over sin and the grave.
More than seven decades ago, my father held a peace rally on the east steps of the U.S. Capitol building to encourage President Harry Truman to establish a National Day of Prayer. It was a historic moment that had an immediate impact. Within two days, legislation was introduced in the House of Representatives and passed after committee action by unanimous vote. Truman signed the joint resolution into law in April 1952.
America’s annual observance of the National Day of Prayer on the first Thursday in May rightly began this year with a call to repentance: “Almighty God, King of Glory, we confess our sins and repent of our pride that sought our own glory and comfort, allowing evil to take root instead of Your fruit in our hearts, homes, culture and country. Please forgive us.”
Nineteenth-century British preacher Charles Haddon Spurgeon profoundly stated: “Prayer is the slender nerve that moves the muscle of omnipotence.”
Thankfully, everywhere my son Will and I preach, there are prayer warriors in local churches going before us, interceding around the clock for months, even years, in anticipation of a harvest of souls for the Kingdom of God.
There really is nothing more important or crucial than spending time with God in prayer.
When we pray, it moves our focus from our problems to the Problem Solver. Surrendering our cares and concerns to Almighty God is an act of humility. It’s also an act of worship that invites our Savior and Lord to have His will and way in our lives.
“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God” (Philippians 4:6).
I love the story of Daniel in the Old Testament. Even though King Nebuchadnezzar had decreed that anyone in Babylon who didn’t pray to him would be put to death, Daniel’s faith in the King of kings didn’t waver.
“Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went home. And in his upper room, with his windows open toward Jerusalem, he knelt down on his knees three times that day, and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as was his custom since early days” (Daniel 6:10).
Also, in the Book of 2 Kings, we read how God answered King Hezekiah’s prayer and delivered the nation of Judah from certain destruction by the mighty Assyrian army.
“Truly, Lord, the kings of Assyria have laid waste the nations and their lands, and have cast their gods into the fire; for they were not gods, but the work of men’s hands—wood and stone. Therefore they destroyed them. Now therefore, O Lord our God, I pray, save us from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that You are the Lord God, You alone” (2 Kings 19:17-19).
Hezekiah’s faith-filled prayer teaches us that when we ask God to answer our prayers for His glory, anything is possible. “And it came to pass on a certain night that the angel of the Lord went out, and killed in the camp of the Assyrians one hundred and eighty-five thousand; and when people arose early in the morning, there were the corpses—all dead” (2 Kings 19:35).
Believers are never more useful to God and dangerous to Satan than when they are bold and courageous in prayer. The Apostle Paul tells us: “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:12).
When our prayers are informed by Scripture and our hearts are obediently aligned with His purposes, we can be certain that we are truly seeking God’s will and not our own. That’s what submitting to the authority of God’s Word is all about.
“For this reason we also thank God without ceasing, because when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you welcomed it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which also effectively works in you who believe” (1 Thessalonians 2:13).
As the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association pursues its 76th year of fulfilling the Great Commission, we do so expectantly—relying not on our own wisdom, strength or resourcefulness—while trusting and believing that: “Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think” (Ephesians 3:20).
