"Blessed is the nation
whose God is the Lord;
and the people whom He
hath chosen for His own
inheritance."
Psalm 33:12
Our Nation's Godly Heritage
Throughout America's history, the call for days
of fasting and prayer has been sounded many times--
during times of war, distress or in other crises.
George Washington first called for a day of
fasting and prayer from his headquarters in
Cambridge on July 16, 1775. His orders
requested "a Day of Public Humiliation, Fasting
and Prayer; that they may with united hearts and
voice unfeignedly confess their sins before God,
and supplicate the all wise and merciful
Disposer of Events, to avert the desolation
and calamities of an unnatural war."
During the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln
called for a similar solemn day on March 30, 1863
with these words, "And whereas it is the duty of
nations as well as of men, to own their dependence
upon the overruling power of God, to confess their
sins and transgressions, in humble sorrow, yet with
assured hope that genuine repentance will lead to
mercy and pardon; and to recognize the sublime truth,
announced in the Holy Scriptures and proven by
all history, that those nations only are blessed
whose God is the Lord."
