Watch Cissie Graham Lynch pray at Millennial event:
Cissie Graham Lynch, flanked by fellow millennials, stood before a packed congregation during Thursday’s special inauguration prayer event at Greater New Hope Baptist Church in Washington, D.C.
“Dear God, I lift up a generation who seeks truth,” the daughter of Franklin Graham and granddaughter of Billy Graham prayed. Behind her, members of the millennial generation—her generation—prayed right alongside her; some with arms outstretched.
“Lord, I pray that they proclaim Your Name boldly and will not be ashamed for the Name of Jesus Christ,” Cissie continued. “Lord, I pray that they will study Your Word to know what it says, to know what is truth so they can teach, correct and rebuke a forever compromising world that will tell them they’re wrong. Lord, I pray that they will cling to You and Your Word only.”
Cissie’s prayer was one of many shared during the service, which focused on lifting up the nation in eight primary ways before Inauguration Day. Cissie’s father, Franklin Graham, is scheduled to read Scripture during the official ceremony on Friday, and she will follow in the footsteps of her grandfather and father by praying during the Presidential Inaugural Prayer Service on Saturday.
The eight areas of emphasis during Thursday’s event included focused prayers for the nation, the presidential administration, Congress, Supreme Court, U.S.-international relations, the media, racial healing/unity and millennials.
That younger generation is near and dear to Elisha Howard’s heart. A millennial herself, the 22-year-old said she can be torn between understanding both sides—her seeker generation and the older, faithful people she works with through All Nations North America, a faith-based organization.
Elisha said the best way she’s learned to show the love of Jesus to her generation is simply by being obedient to the Lord and being authentic by “walking in love in all things.”
Different outlets define millennials using a variety of year ranges, so maybe the best option is Merriam-Webster, which considers the term to mean a person born in the 1980s or 1990s. Despite her young age, Elisha said she was excited to attend the prayer event. She was further encouraged to learn that Cissie, a young adult from her generation, would be praying.
“I’m beginning to see young people standing up and praying and taking a stand, and it’s really encouraging to me to know that I’m not the only one,” Elisha said.
Janie Walton, who made the trip from Colorado Springs, was sitting in the church pew when the millennials started to pray. She had been recording audio from the event with her cell phone and noticed the frequency levels soared as the younger generation stormed heaven with their prayers.
“When I heard them pray, I felt a bang, bang, bang,” she said afterward, pounding her open left hand with her right fist. “It was like this hammer coming down on the forces of darkness.”
Cissie said her hope is young people will realize the power they can have in Jesus when they’re not ashamed of the Gospel.
“Especially for young people, millennials, it’s important,” Cissie said. “No matter what setting we’re in, whether it’s the corporate world, at home, in the school system. We have to stand strong for the Gospel of Jesus Christ, know what God’s Word says, know why we believe what we believe and stand strong for it and not be ashamed of it, because that’s when the power of salvation happens.”
>>More: Cissie Graham Lynch Follows in Family Footsteps at Inaugural Prayer Service
