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The Dr. James Dobson Family Institute (JDFI) believes we must not forget America’s heritage. This nation was birthed in prayer and founded on the God of the Bible—on His biblical principles and His moral values. Unfortunately, many have turned their backs on their Creator, and we are reaping the consequences.
Other nations have also defied Jehovah at their peril. The Scripture tells of one such wicked city called Nineveh where the people turned away from God and were steeped in all kinds of idolatry and immorality. God said evil had become so prevalent in the land that He determined to destroy it. He told the prophet Jonah to go to Nineveh and warn the people and their king that destruction would fall on their city. As we know, the king as well as the Ninevites repented and cried out for mercy and forgiveness, and God spared them.
This is why the National Day of Prayer exists. JDFI implores America to turn back to its spiritual roots. II Chronicles 7:14 tells us that “If My people, who are called by My name, will humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways…then I will hear from heaven, I will forgive their sins and I will heal their land.”
Prayer Is and Always Has Been America’s Fortress
Our forefathers declared the independence of our Nation “with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence.” In that reliance, they set forth the conviction that all men are created equal and endowed by their Creator with unalienable rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
Throughout the history of this great country, those who have come to our shores have expressed gratitude for the opportunity to openly worship according to their individual conscience. Despite our diverse backgrounds, ethnicity, and religious views, prayer has been a unifying force. Conscious of that faith heritage, in 1952, by a joint resolution, the Congress of the United States provided for the establishment of a National Day of Prayer, on which the people of the United States may turn to God in prayer and meditation in venues large and small. President Harry S. Truman signed that act into law, and remarked in his proclamation that “in times of national crisis, when we are striving to strengthen the foundations of peace and security, we stand in special need of divine support.”
The great statesman, Edmund Burke, said that “whatever disunites man from God, also disunites man from man.” Our continued unity as a nation is directly dependent upon our willingness to join together as “one nation under God,” petitioning the Almighty for His blessing upon us. Uniting in prayer will strengthen the ties that bind us together as Americans, and collectively appropriate the benefits promised by our Creator to those who humbly seek Him.
Faith has always been the golden strand that binds Americans together—faith not only in the promises and benefits of freedom, but ultimately, in the grace and benevolence of the Creator whose hand has sustained and upheld this country throughout its history.
Benjamin Franklin understood this when he said: “The longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth, that God governs in the affairs of men. And, if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without His notice is it probable that an empire can rise without His aid? I therefore beg leave to move, that henceforth prayers, imploring the assistance of heaven, and its blessings on our deliberations, be held in this assembly every morning before we proceed to business…”
In order to reaffirm this nation’s reliance upon the God of the universe, we encourage all Americans to gather in prayer and thanksgiving on her behalf. In so doing, we realize the promise found in Scripture: “If My people, who are called by My name, will humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” II Chronicles 7:14.
Every year, thousands of trained volunteers are working behind the scenes, across the country, to unite millions of people on the National Day of Prayer. However, another significant task they undertake is meeting with their state and community leaders to ensure that this historic day of prayer brings together both civil and religious leaders in solemn assembly for America. This includes requesting proclamations from governors of all 50 states. This is not an easy undertaking, but it is worth every measure of strength to ensure that the day of prayer will not lose its historical significance.
Where It All Began — The Continental Congress, 1775
The Continental Congress wrote these words about prayer for our nation, declaring:
This Congress, therefore, considering the present critical, alarming, and calamitous condition of these colonies, do earnestly recommend the twentieth day of July next to be observed by the inhabitants of all the English colonies on this continent as a day of publick humiliation, fasting, and prayer;
that we may with united hearts and voices unfeignedly confess and deplore our many sins, and offer up our joint supplications to the all-wise, omnipotent, and merciful Disposer of all events; humbly beseeching Him to forgive our iniquities, to remove our present calamities, to avert those desolating judgments with which we are threatened . . . ;
that these colonies may be ever under the care and protection of a kind Providence and be prospered in all their interests;
that the Divine blessings may descend and rest upon all civil rulers and upon the representatives of the people, in their several assemblies and conventions;
that they may be directed to wise and effectual measures for preserving the union and securing the just rights and privileges of the colonies;
that virtue and true religion may revive and flourish throughout the land; and
that America may soon behold a gracious interposition of Heaven for the redress of her many grievances, the restoration of her invaded rights, a reconciliation with the parent state, on terms constitutional and honorable to both, and that her civil and religious privileges may be secured to the latest posterity.
Two Early Praying Presidents
John Adams (who would become America’s second president) echoed this sentiment to his wife, Abigail, when he wrote to her the following words on June 17, 1775: “We have appointed a Continental fast. Millions will be upon their knees at once before their great Creator, imploring His forgiveness and blessing; His smiles on American councils and arms.”
Then in 1795, President George Washington stated:
It is…our duty as a people, with devout reverence and affectionate gratitude, to acknowledge our many and great obligations to Almighty God and to implore Him to continue and confirm the blessings we experience. Deeply penetrated with this sentiment, I, George Washington, President of the United States, do recommend to all religious societies and denominations, and to all persons whomsoever, within the United States to set apart and observe Thursday…as a day of public thanksgiving and prayer, and on that day to meet together and render their sincere and hearty thanks to the Great Ruler of Nations for the manifold and signal mercies which distinguish our lot as a nation, particularly
for the possession of constitutions of government which unite and by their union establish liberty with order;
for the preservation of our peace, foreign and domestic;
for the seasonable control which has been given to a spirit of disorder in the suppression of the late insurrection, and generally,
for the prosperous course of our affairs, public and private; and at the same time humbly and fervently to beseech the kind Author of these blessings graciously to prolong them to us;
to imprint on our hearts a deep and solemn sense of our obligations to Him for them;
to teach us rightly to estimate their immense value;
to preserve us from the arrogance of prosperity, and from hazarding the advantages we enjoy by delusive pursuits;
to dispose us to merit the continuance of His favors by not abusing them; by our gratitude for them, and by a correspondent conduct as citizens and men;
to render this country more and more a safe and propitious asylum for the unfortunate of other countries;
to extend among us true and useful knowledge;
to diffuse and establish habits of sobriety, order, morality, and piety, and finally,
to impart all the blessings we possess, or ask for ourselves, to the whole family of mankind.
(By John Bornschein, Th.D. Used by permission. Adaptations and Enhancements © JDFI 2026.)
As we celebrate the National Day of Prayer, we implore every American to take the following actions:
- PRAISE – thank God for your many blessings,
- REPENT – of your sins,
- ASK – God to heal our land, and
- YIELD – pause and surrender, and wait to hear from heaven.
“As I learned how to pray and began speaking to the Lord, I sensed His love and care for me. Amid the chaos of our disintegrating family, this little girl found hope and comfort in Jesus. I’ve been praying and relying on Him ever since.”
– Shirley Dobson
