October 29, 2026

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Historical Prayers and Proclamations, Part 3

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, again 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 Eleven:

President Franklin Roosevelt, D-Day, June 6, 1944

“‘On June 6, 1944, as Allied troops stormed the beaches of Normandy, President Franklin D. Roosevelt led the nation in an extraordinary act of faith. That evening, FDR delivered a radio broadcast in the form of a solemn prayer, asking Americans to join him in seeking God’s aid. This D-Day prayer was heard by millions and remains one of the most iconic instances of a President publicly beseeching God at a critical moment in history. Below is the text of FDR’s prayer:

“‘Almighty God: Our sons, pride of our Nation, this day have set upon a mighty endeavor, a struggle to preserve our Republic, our religion, and our civilization, and to set free a suffering humanity. Lead them straight and true; give strength to their arms, stoutness to their hearts, steadfastness in their faith. They will need Thy blessings. Their road will be long and hard. For the enemy is strong. He may hurl back our forces. Success may not come with rushing speed, but we shall return again and again; and we know that by Thy grace, and by the righteousness of our cause, our sons will triumph. They will be sore tried, by night and by day, without rest-until the victory is won. The darkness will be rent by noise and flame. Men’s souls will be shaken with the violences of war. For these men are lately drawn from the ways of peace. They fight not for the lust of conquest. They fight to end conquest. They fight to liberate. They fight to let justice arise, and tolerance and good will among all Thy people. They yearn but for the end of battle, for their return to the haven of home. Some will never return. Embrace these, Father, and receive them, Thy heroic servants, into Thy kingdom.

“‘And for us at home - fathers, mothers, children, wives, sisters, and brothers of brave men overseas - whose thoughts and prayers are ever with them - help us, Almighty God, to rededicate ourselves in renewed faith in Thee in this hour of great sacrifice. Many people have urged that I call the Nation into a single day of special prayer. But because the road is long and the desire is great, I ask that our people devote themselves in a continuance of prayer. As we rise to each new day, and again when each day is spent, let words of prayer be on our lips, invoking Thy help to our efforts. Give us strength, too - strength in our daily tasks, to redouble the contributions we make in the physical and the material support of our armed forces. And let our hearts be stout, to wait out the long travail, to bear sorrows that may come, to impart our courage unto our sons wheresoever they may be.

“‘And, O Lord, give us Faith. Give us Faith in Thee; Faith in our sons; Faith in each other; Faith in our united crusade. Let not the keenness of our spirit ever be dulled. Let not the impacts of temporary events, of temporal matters of but fleeting moment let not these deter us in our unconquerable purpose. With Thy blessing, we shall prevail over the unholy forces of our enemy. Help us to conquer the apostles of greed and racial arrogancies. Lead us to the saving of our country, and with our sister Nations into a world unity that will spell a sure peace, a peace invulnerable to the schemings of unworthy men. And a peace that will let all of men live in freedom, reaping the just rewards of their honest toil.

“‘Thy will be done, Almighty God. Amen.”’(1)