Michael W. Smith Among Christian Leaders Set to Gather at National Mall to Pray for America

Award-winning artist Michael W. Smith and other influential figures are gathering at the National Mall in late October for a powerful event focused on national repentance, revival and renewal.

Award-winning Christian singer-songwriter Michael W. Smith is just one of a handful of recognizable names and faces who will gather at the National Mall in Washington to pray over the state of the nation in late October.

Prayer for America’s Future at the National Mall

The Nehemiah Alliance is holding a worship and prayer event at the National Mall on the weekend of Oct. 31. The focus of the event will be on a “united call to repentance, revival, and renewal. This assembly will mark a day of public expression of faith, declaring that light shines in the darkness,” according to The Christian Newswire.

A few of the many notable leaders at this event include Smith, who will lead worship. Speakers include Sam and Kevin Sorbo, Dr. Alveda King, Cindy Jacobs, Lou Engle and others.

The Nehemiah Alliance also seeks to obtain “an official blessing from the United States Government in the form of a simple resolution from the Senate and/or House of Representatives,” according to the God Encounters Ministries website.

Restoration of America as a Shining City on a Hill for God’s Glory

The resolution language being requested per the website reads as follows: “That the United States Congress hereby acknowledges and supports the Nehemiah Alliance: 52-Day Rebuild Initiative as an effort to call the nation to prayer, repentance, and renewal, in pursuit of spiritual awakening, unity, and the restoration of America as a shining city on a hill for the glory of our great God.”

The metaphor of America as a shining city on a hill gained its notoriety the day before the Nov. 3, 1980, presidential election, according to the Museum of the Bible, when then presidential candidate Ronald Reagan said in a speech, “If we shall deal falsely with our God in this work we have undertaken and so cause him to withdraw His present help from us, we shall be made a story and a by-word throughout the world. For I believe that Americans in 1980 are every bit as committed to that vision of a shining ‘city on a hill’ as were those long ago settlers.”

Reagan was borrowing from Matthew 5:14-16. Reagan also said he believed that God had “some divine plan” for America, and that “our heritage does set us apart,” according to Frontiers of Freedom.

President Trump gave a positive nod to the prayer event during the most recent Religious Liberty meeting, according to 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. From the beginning, this has always been a country sustained and strengthened by prayer,” he said. “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.”

For more information about the event, including how to register for it and where and how to watch, click here.

Elizabeth Delaney has been a freelance content writer for over 20 years and has enjoyed having her prose published in both the non-fiction and fiction markets. She has written various types of content, including Christian articles, healthy lifestyle, blog posts, business topics, news articles, product descriptions, and some fiction. She is also a singer-songwriter-musician. When she is not busy with writing or music, she enjoys spending time with friends or family and doing fun social activities such as hiking, swing dancing, concerts, and other activities.