OPINION:
Prayer is one of the most underused weapons in the human arsenal. A connective tissue between mankind and the Almighty, the power of a true and heartfelt invocation cannot be overstated.
At a very baseline level, a reliance on prayer indicates a humble heart — a posture of love and care for the Creator built on the realization that people have limited power and ability.
When we seek God’s guidance and offer reliance upon him, we showcase a hope that He will guide and sustain us. This belief spotlights a humility in the hearts of man and a recognition that we simply cannot control the many factors that surround us.
In recent decades, one of the most dangerous and troubling trends has been Americans’ move away from this dependence. The stripping away, avoidance and degradation of prayer has come at the nation’s peril, fueling not only national chaos but also individual unhappiness and unease.
If prayer is folly, there’s nothing to lose. But if there’s truly power in invoking God, the cost of avoiding Him and ignoring prayer is quite high.
As America approaches our 250th anniversary next year — what the White House is dubbing “two and a half centuries of freedom” — President Trump is on a mission to turn citizens back to the prayerful hope that helped fuel the nation’s infancy and success.
Mr. Trump is inviting citizens to “prayer and rededication of the United States as One Nation Under God,” an effort the White House is calling “America Prays.”
“As we prepare to celebrate two and a half centuries of freedom, I am inviting America’s great religious communities to pray for our nation and for our people,” Mr. Trump said earlier this year. “From the beginning, this has always been a country sustained and strengthened by prayer. So important, if we bring religion back stronger, you’re going to see everything get better and better and better.
“So, as we chart our course for the next 250 years, let us rededicate ourselves to one nation under God.”
The White House is calling on one million Americans to dedicate one hour a week to pray for the U.S. and for the nation’s citizens. The “America Prays” initiative argues that a country is “only as strong as its citizens,” which is why there’s a multifaceted prayer approach.
An official White House website devoted to the effort encourages citizens to gather weekly with “at least 10 people” to pray for the nation.
The central goal is to “rededicate ourselves” to the principles that built America. From government leaders to a prayer for “cultural renewal” to invocations for families,“America Prays” seeks to turn hearts and minds back to the Lord.
With individuals stepping up to the spiritual plate, the White House believes prayers will coalesce to create a positive impact on towns, cities, states and the national culture at large.
It’s a noble effort for which Mr. Trump and the White House deserve praise. At a time when the secular left is obsessively warning about Christian nationalism and wielding the resulting fear as a weapon to terrify people into silence, the White House is doubling down to remind people that it’s prayer and the Lord — not the fear of man — that most matters.
Mr. Trump isn’t the only president to hold these convictions. President George Washington, among other founders, knew the power and importance of prayer and faithful devotion.
“Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, religion and morality are indispensable supports,” Washington said during his farewell address. “In vain would that man claim the tribute of patriotism who should labor to subvert these great pillars of human happiness, these firmest props of the duties of men and citizens.”
Washington knew that morality and faith are “firm props” to a culture and nation — and went as far as to say that those seeking to tear down these pillars are deeply mistaken.
Mr. Trump, whose Cabinet meetings open with prayer, has affirmed these same beliefs, arguing that America must be reliant upon God to be “good.”
“I’ve felt for a long time that … if a country doesn’t have religion, doesn’t have faith, doesn’t have God, it’s going to be very hard to be a good country,” Mr. Trump has said.
People might point to the president’s rhetoric or past behavior to scrutinize the heart behind such comments, but it’s undoubtedly true that religious liberty, faith and prayer have been hallmarks of his second term.
And I would wager that the president, who has faced two assassination attempts and has increasingly discussed heaven, is spending more time pondering the importance of these eternal subjects in his own life.
Regardless, “America Prays” is an initiative the nation desperately needs as we seek to right a ship that rabid secularism has taken too far off course — and, for that, Mr. Trump deserves profound credit.
• Billy Hallowell is a digital TV host and interviewer for Faithwire and CBN News and the co-host of CBN’s “Quick Start Podcast.” Mr. Hallowell is the author of four books.
