America’s 250-Year Call to Prayer

On May 17, 1776, exactly 250 years ago this Sunday, the Continental Congress did something no American legislature would dare to do today.
In the middle of a war they expected to lose, with the British army crossing the Atlantic and the colonies bleeding from Lexington, Concord, and Bunker Hill, the men who would soon sign the Declaration of Independence put their names to a different document first. They called the nation to a Day of Humiliation, Fasting, and Prayer. And they did not address it to a generic deity.
“That we may, with united hearts, confess and bewail our manifold sins and transgressions, and by a sincere repentance and amendment of life, appease his righteous displeasure, and, through the merits and mediation of Jesus Christ, obtain his pardon and forgiveness.”
Jesus Christ. By name. In the official record of the Continental Congress.
This Sunday, May 17, 2026, on the National Mall in Washington, an event called Rededicate 250 will mark the exact 250th anniversary of that proclamation. Thousands are expected to gather in front of the U.S. Capitol for an all-day jubilee of prayer, praise, and thanksgiving. President Trump issued a Year of Celebration and Rededication proclamation in January. Franklin Graham, Speaker Mike Johnson, and faith leaders from all 50 states are participating.
The founders did not believe America could survive without God. They said so in writing.
Scripture has always told the truth about where national strength actually comes from.
“Unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the guards stand watch in vain.” Psalm 127:1
A nation can have the best army, the strongest economy, the most advanced technology in the world, and still collapse from within if it forgets the One who gave it those things in the first place. Revival is not nostalgia. It is recognition.
Two hundred fifty years ago, they prayed in His name. May we have the courage to do the same.
How will you pause this Sunday to thank God for what He has done in America? #america #faith #God