On the National Day of Prayer, Americans across the country pause to seek God’s wisdom, mercy, and guidance. It is a moment to reflect on who we are as a nation: a people shaped by faith, rooted in Judeo-Christian values, and united under God. It reminds us that our strength is not found solely in military power or economic success, but in our enduring reliance on the protection and guidance of Divine Providence.
From our earliest beginnings, faith has been central to the American story. The Pilgrims fled religious persecution in search of the freedom to worship. In 1775, the First Continental Congress called for a day of “public humiliation, fasting, and prayer” as the nation struggled for independence. In 1789, President George Washington issued the first Presidential Thanksgiving Proclamation, declaring that “it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God … and humbly to implore His protection and favor.”
That foundation has endured through the generations. In 1952, President Harry S. Truman and Congress established the National Day of Prayer, setting aside a time “on which the people of the United States may turn to God in prayer and meditation,” reaffirming our “firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence.”
Today, in 2026, that call remains as urgent as ever. Our nation faces a profound struggle — a battle over our very identity. At its core is a simple but essential truth: we are not self-sufficient. As declared in our founding document, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights.” Our identity is not something we invent; it is rooted in who we were created to be. As a nation, we are called to reflect our Creator, recognizing that our dignity, purpose, and prosperity are not self-made, but endowed by Him.
Yet today, America faces a deep cultural, social, and spiritual crisis — one driven, in part, by a departure from these foundational truths. This is not only a national issue, but a challenge within the church itself. Over the past decades, we have witnessed a steady erosion of the moral and spiritual pillars that have long sustained both our faith and our democracy. Too often, Christians have stood silent, allowing apathy to speak louder than conviction.