October 30, 2026
Historical Prayers and Proclamations, Part 4
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. Today is the final day I’ll be 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 16
“When Billy Graham stepped to the podium to deliver the invocation at Richard Nixon’s 1969 inauguration, he did so as a fixture of American public life, whose spiritual counsel was sought by presidents of both parties. Beginning with his attendance at President Eisenhower’s inauguration in 1953, Reverend Graham’s continued participation in the inauguration ceremony confirmed a tradition in which divine aid is humbly invoked on behalf of the republic and its new stewards.
“This particular prayer, uttered at the height of cultural upheaval in the late 1960s, functioned as something of a petition and a prophetic warning. In a time when many Americans feared the foundation may be cracking, Graham hearkened back to the bedrock of repentance, righteousness, and redemption.
Billy Graham Prays At The 1969 Presidential Inauguration
“‘Our Father and our God, Thou hast said, ‘Blessed is that nation whose God is the Lord.’ We recognize on this historic occasion that we are ‘a nation under God.’ We thank Thee for this torch of faith handed to us by our forefathers. May we never let it be extinguished. Thou alone hast given us our prosperity, our freedom and our power. This faith in God is our heritage and our foundation!
‘...Thou hast warned us in the Scriptures, ‘If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do?’ As George Washington reminded us in his farewell address, morality and faith are the pillars of our society.
‘...Too long we have neglected Thy word and ignored Thy laws. Too long we have tried to solve our problems without reference to Thee. Too long we have tried to live by bread alone.
‘...And now with the wages of our sins staring us in the face, we remember Thy words, ‘If my people who are called by my Name shall humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.’
‘Help us this day to turn from our sins and to turn by simple faith to the One who said, ‘Ye must be born again.’
‘So we pray, O God, as we enter a new era, that we as a nation may experience a moral and spiritual restoration.
‘We pray this humbly in the name of the Prince of Peace, who shed his blood on the Cross that men might have eternal life. Amen.”’(1)
Click on the link below to watch the full video.
Prayers and Proclamations Throughout American History; https://www.whitehouse.gov/freedom250/america-prays/
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