I have to admit I waver at times over whether God will bless America with His favor again—or whether He is simply done with us. But in recent months my hope for a fresh outpouring of His blessing on our nation has been hugely restored. How did it happen?

When my boss, Dave Butts, felt compelled of the Lord to lead the charge to raise up prayer during the 40 days prior to America’s elections this fall, my priorities suddenly changed. When a boss gets a sense of urgency about something, employees hop to! On our websites, we started putting together 40daysofprayer.net. I was not ready for what I would find—and it changed my perspective.

I am truly amazed at how many people and organizations are at the same time being called to launch similar prayer initiatives. That tells me this is a God-thing. And what some of these believers are doing is truly wonderful: Summonses, 50 days of prayer, 40 days of prayer, and prayer rallies are springing up everywhere. Many are nonpartisan. Many are right-wing conservative.

Regardless of political bent, all these Christians are finally recognizing that the United States is out of solutions—man-made solutions—to its plight. This land once called on God for blessings, but now forces Him out of most parts of society. So only He can bring about the needed change.

In our news section in this issue, read about one of the most exciting prayer initiatives that has sprung up, called David’s Tent DC. A young YWAMer (Youth with a Mission) named Jason Hershey has received a permit to put a tent on the White House property (on the Ellipse) for 40 days of 24/7 worship prior to the elections. That means that in a tent right next to the White House, Jesus Christ will be praised, magnified, and exalted for 40 days and nights from September 28 through November 6.

Anyone can come to the tent and participate. You can check out a video about this event at davidstentdc.org. Only God could orchestrate this unprecedented opportunity.

Spur Others On

What does it mean that all this prayer stuff is coming together? When God sets His people praying, you know He is up to something! This restores my hope that America is in for a fresh outpouring or blessing from God. What it looks like, I don’t know. But I am hopeful.

Join me in being hopeful. With just a few weeks to go before these 40 days begin, consider what you can do to spur on other believers around you to pray. Encourage your church and friends to participate in praying for the elections and for our nation. You can find guides and suggestions at 40daysofprayer.net.

Let’s ask God to release His solution for our nation!

–Jonathan Graf