On February 4, 2026, hundreds of voices rose in unison right in the beating heart of Washington, D.C. — not in anger, not in protest, but in raw, humble surrender. The Museum of the Bible became a spiritual battleground where believers from every corner of the earth gathered, not to demand, but to plead — for people to pray. This was not merely an event. The 2026 National Gathering for Prayer and Repentance was an opportunity to confess the sins that have scarred our country and cry out for God to stoop down, extend His mighty hand, and lead us back to the path of righteousness.
Far from a gathering shrouded in despair, the air was filled with hope. Attendees arrived already convinced that it’s not too late — that the God who parted seas and raised the dead can still awaken hearts, heal lands, and restore what has been broken. They came believing that true change begins not in legislation or headlines, but on bended knees before the throne of grace. Otherwise, why would they be praying?
People from almost all 50 states stood shoulder to shoulder with brothers and sisters from nations near and far — Iran, Nigeria, Cuba, Armenia, Ukraine, Israel, Hungary, the Democratic Republic of Congo, South Korea, Venezuela, Great Britain, Pakistan, India, Canada, China, and countless others. Faith leaders, CEOs, and everyday warriors for truth all converged in one place, united by a single goal: to see the world turn toward Christ. As Dr. Jim Garlow of Well Versed, the event’s co-founder, declared, this moment should be met with “a sense of holy urgency — a sense of holy desperation.”
Even men and women from the halls of power joined in prayer. Congressmen, senators, members of the Trump administration, state attorneys general, and other elected officials from coast to coast joined the chorus. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) stood among them, their heads bowed in humility.
America “is the most free, most successful, most powerful, most benevolent nation that has ever been.” And why? Because, he insisted, this nation was forged on a biblical foundation. With those words hanging in the air, he bowed his head and prayed — for forgiveness, for guidance, and with overflowing gratitude.
Moments later, Scalise lifted his voice in awe of the gracious Creator who extends mercy and love even amid our rebellion. He thanked God for comfort in our struggles, provision in our need, and the undeniable power of prayer. Like so many there, he poured out his gratitude for America’s freedoms and humbly asked for divine wisdom, strength, faithfulness, and compassion to guard the nation’s founding principles. And, above all, he prayed for true national unity.
That longing for unity struck a deep chord as Pastor Tim Macklin stepped forward with a prayer that cut straight to the soul of America’s present turmoil. Now widely known as the ex-father-in-law of Renée Good — the woman tragically and fatally shot during a hostile encounter with an ICE agent in Minnesota — Macklin confronted the division and furious protests her death prompted head-on. He prayed fervently for “a spirit of conviction” and “a spirit of repentance.” Drawing from Scripture’s warnings about false teachers and prophets, he implored God for discernment so we would not “follow their pernicious ways.”
He called for leaders to “rise up in the name of Jesus” and “preach repentance … and tell people the truth.” With steady clarity, he insisted, “This is not a political problem. This is spiritual warfare. We’re not wrestling against flesh and blood.” His words concluded with a call to action: “We all need to seek God’s face and turn from our wicked ways. He will hear from heaven, forgive our sins, and heal our lands.”
Yet the prayers reached far beyond America’s borders. Hearts ached for persecuted believers worldwide. Grace Jin Drexel, for instance, lifted passionate pleas for her homeland of China, as well as for her own father, a pastor imprisoned for his faith, alongside many others. Drexel’s prayer was a mixture of honest fear and faith — praying repentance over the temptation of unbelief, while also sharing her gratitude that the God we serve is a saving God, a trustworthy God, and a promise-keeping God.
Whether focused on home or distant shores, the sins laid bare before God were painfully similar: idolatry, sexual immorality, distortion of truth, injustice, pride, rejection of God’s authority, silence and compromise, dishonoring our bodies and lives, dishonoring our country, greed, godlessness and lawlessness, taking freedoms for granted, impatience, unforgiveness, jealousy, prayerlessness, lukewarm devotion, deceitfulness, unbelief.
Many voices rose in earnest repentance for political and societal sins that destroy lives daily: abortion, the slavery of human trafficking, LGBT ideology, the indoctrination and mutilation of children (and adults), the redefinition of marriage, divorce, anti-Semitism, euthanasia, and more. The cries rang out: Expose our sin. Guard us, guide us, direct us in all we do. Forgive us. Restore us. Lord, unleash a spiritual awakening across this land and around the globe!
Family Research Council President Tony Perkins, co-founder of the gathering, reminded us as America’s 250th anniversary approaches that when God grants freedom, He does so with intention — “so His people could identify with and belong to and serve Him.” In this special year of America’s founding, Perkins emphasized that the moment calls for reflection: if the Founders sought freedom for a divine purpose, and that same purpose was entrusted to us as a nation — to serve God, honor Him, and live under His authority — then “we must ask the question,” he said, “are we living by that purpose today as a nation?”
From every speaker, every prayer, one resounding truth echoed: It all comes back to Christ. Every good thing, every truth, every beauty flows from Him. A thriving nation, a flourishing society, a soul that radiates light in darkness — it all comes back to Christ. In this act of prayer and repentance — which is not meant to be confined to a single day but continued throughout all generations — perhaps the greatest gift we could receive is a fresh and real encounter with God that floods back into the hearts of people everywhere.
