Seeking and Honoring God on the 250th Anniversary of the US

Illustration of seamstress Betsy Ross showing the first design of the U.S. flag to George Washington in Philadelphia. Hulton Archive/Getty Images

Commentary

When the U.S. Constitution was being debated at the 1787 Constitutional Convention, Founding Father Benjamin Franklin reportedly said, “The longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see that God governs in the affairs of men.” President Ronald Reagan once stated, “If we ever forget that we are one nation under God, then we will be a nation gone under.”

Absent any unforeseen national catastrophe and as a result of God’s grace and mercy, the United States will joyfully celebrate its 250th birthday on July 4, 2026. Receiving God’s grace entails getting what one does not deserve, and receiving his mercy entails not getting what one does deserve.

The United States’ semiquincentennial celebration undoubtedly will require much early planning and thoughtful consideration of different events and festivities to take place on July 4, 2026, and perhaps on the few days beforehand. Hence, it is necessary to begin planning soon for the important event suggested herein.

Plans to celebrate the United States’ 250th birthday need to include a special gathering in the nation’s capital, where citizens from throughout the country come to seek, thank, and honor God. This special gathering could be similar to and perhaps surpass the “Stand in the Gap” gathering of men that occurred on the National Mall in Washington on Oct. 4, 1997. The climax of this gathering was when all the attendees, more than 1 million men, fell face down to the ground praying for God’s forgiveness for the sins of the nation and thanking God for the many blessings he had bestowed upon the United States.

The nation as a whole needs to again seek God’s forgiveness for the sins committed against his creation and natural order. These sins include:

• The medical mutilation of thousands of U.S. youth
• Massive moral decay and financial corruption of many of the nation’s people and leaders
• Efforts to destroy God’s plan for traditional two-parent families
• The murder of hundreds of thousands of unborn babies
• The tendency of many pastors and worship leaders to teach only about God’s love and forgiveness, while failing to teach about God’s justice and wrath for unconfessed and unrepentant sin

The attendees at the gathering would:

• Praise God for his holiness, goodness, and faithfulness
• Confess the United States’ many sins
• Humbly pray for God’s forgiveness of these sins
• Express sincere thanks for God’s blessings on the United States
• Pray for God’s continued blessings on the nation

Thus, it is suggested that on or about July 4, 2026, the proposed special gathering take place on the National Mall in Washington to celebrate the United States’ 250th birthday. Further, citizens living in each of the 50 states who are not able to travel to Washington should also plan and locally hold such gatherings on or about July 4, 2026, as a sincere demonstration of faithfulness and dependence on God’s forgiveness and blessings.

Views expressed in this article are opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.