October 28, 2026

45 minutes ago

3 min read

Historical Prayers and Proclamations, Part 2

Having had an extraordinarily busy schedule throughout October, and an even busier final week, I’m not able to write a post for each day of this week. In lieu of that, today I’m reading from an incredibly powerful and inspiring compilation of prayers released by the White House. Yes, the White House! It is entitled: Prayers and Proclamations Throughout American History. You’re gonna love them!

Taken from The White House Introduction

“From the birth of our nation, America has been strengthened and sustained by people of prayer. From battlefield chaplains at Valley Forge to hymns sung in slave cabins and prayers in pioneer homes, Americans have turned time and again to the “moral Ruler of the universe” in times of triumph and travail. This document gathers such moments, and in doing so, it affirms that the strength of the American spirit lies not exclusively in her ideas, but in the faith that undergirds them.

“These 17 moments of prayer and faith offer compelling evidence of the enduring presence and formative role of faith within the fabric of American public life. Far from being peripheral or incidental, these events underscore how belief in divine providence, the words of Scripture, and the practice of public prayer have shaped the character of American institutions, guided moments of national crisis, and informed the moral imagination of the American people.”

From Number Seven

“The Constitutional Convention convened in Philadelphia in May 1787 to address the structural weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation. [The War has been won; the nation is taking shape.] Chaired by George Washington, the delegates set out to establish a more effective national framework. However, after several weeks of debate, severe divisions emerged over matters of representation, executive power, and the structure of federal authority. The convention reached a critical impasse; tempers flared, and some delegates left the proceedings in frustration.

“On June 28, 81-year-old Benjamin Franklin—the eldest delegate present—rose before the assembly. Though not known for his religiosity, Franklin proposed that “prayers imploring the assistance of Heaven” be offered daily before business commenced. Edmund Randolph of Virginia proposed that a public sermon be preached to the delegates in conjunction with the approaching Fourth of July celebrations. The Convention adjourned for a short recess, during which many delegates attended religious services. During this recess, Rev. William Rogers delivered a prayer for the Convention, asking for wisdom and unity among the delegates. When the Convention resumed, there was a noticeable shift in tone. Debate gave way to compromise, resulting in the final drafting of the United States Constitution. The Constitution that emerged from this Convention has since endured for nearly two-and-a-half centuries, the longest continuously operating written constitution in the world.

Prayer At The Constitutional Convention, September 1787

“‘As this is a period, O Lord! big, with events, impenetrable by any human scrutiny, we fervently recommend to thy fatherly notice, that august Body assembled in this city, who compose our Federal Convention; will it please Thee, O Eternal I Am! to favor them from day to day with thy immediate presence; be thou their wisdom and their strength! Enable them to devise such measures as may prove happily instrumental for healing all divisions, and promoting the good of the great whole; incline the hearts of all the people to receive with pleasure, combined with a determination to carry into execution, whatever these thy servants may wisely recommend; that the United States of America may furnish the world with one example of a free and permanent government, which shall be the result of human and mutual deliberation, and which shall not, like all other governments, whether ancient or modern, spring out of mere chance, or be established by force. May we triumph in the cheering prospect of being completely delivered from anarchy; and continue, under the influence of republican virtue, to partake of all the blessings of cultivated and civilized society!’(1)

“— from the Fourth of July, 1787 prayer for the Constitutional Convention of Reverend William Rogers”