Dear Friend,
Are you praying for our nation? Are you praying for its people and its future?
We have come to a defining moment in this country. A secular worldview hostile to biblical values has overrun our culture and permeated our government.
Rather than seeking to stem the tide, our educators, politicians, and judges aid the advance of godlessness. This cannot continue if our children and grandchildren are to live in a country that still recognizes God and upholds religious liberty.
No political party or candidate is capable of providing the solution. Only God can turn our nation and the hearts of its people. That is why I am going to every state capital in America this year to call churches and Christians to repentance and prayer for our land, challenge believers to engage in the election process at every level, and proclaim the life-changing Gospel of Jesus Christ.
I have just returned from leading prayer rallies at the state capitols in Columbia, South Carolina; Atlanta, Georgia; and Honolulu, Hawaii, as part of our 50-state Decision America Tour. More than 27,000 people have participated at the prayer events in the first seven states, and hundreds have told us they made a decision for Christ after hearing the Gospel at one of the rallies.
Large numbers of people have pledged to pray fervently and faithfully for the nation, take an active stand for Jesus Christ in their homes and communities, and vote for the candidates they believe are most likely to uphold biblical values and the principles of religious freedom. Will you do the same?
At the state Capitol in Concord, New Hampshire, several weeks ago, a man in the crowd named Jim was bundled in red, white, and blue fleece against the 18-degree noontime temperature. He had his Decision America Tour Prayer Journal and said he has been using it to pray for the people of America state by state as well as for the nation as a whole.
“I feel like there’s not much time left,” he said about America. “How much more is God going to put up with?”
In every state we see families, students from local Christian colleges and schools, and especially church groups arriving to participate in the prayer rallies. A Georgia pastor and his wife came to the Atlanta rally with their two sons, Jacob and Joseph.
“It was important for us to bring the kids today to the Decision America Tour,” said the pastor’s wife, “because we want them to see us standing up and being vocal about our faith.” Jacob, age 9, spoke for himself. “Coming here today to pray for America was the right thing to do. When I am my parents’ age, I want there to be peace in America. We can’t have that unless we have peace in our hearts first.”
Jacob is exactly right.
I was able to do something at the South Carolina Capitol, known as the State House, that my father was once prevented from doing because of his stand against racial separation. In the 1950s, he made plans to preach the Gospel from the steps of the State House. However, the governor in office at the time insisted that any gathering on the Capitol grounds would have to be segregated. My father refused and moved the event to nearby Fort Jackson. So many attended that it was described by local news reporters as the largest racially integrated religious gathering ever held in South Carolina up to that point.
Things are different today—I was welcomed to proclaim Jesus Christ and pray for our nation from the State House steps, and everyone who wanted to join me could do so freely.
My father, who is now 97 years old, can no longer get out of the house much—but he makes it his job to pray, and he feels a part of what we are doing on this tour. I am sometimes asked what he would say about the nation and about the upcoming elections if he were able to travel and speak out today. I believe he would say exactly what he has said before: “Christians need to get involved in the political process.”
Prior to one election year he wrote: “If I were a pastor of a church, I believe I would explain to my people where each candidate stood morally, spiritually, and in relationship to the church. I feel that we’re going to have to meet our political obligations as Christians and make our voice known if America is to be preserved with a type of Christian heritage which has given us the liberties that we now enjoy. For unless America turns back to God, repents of its sin, and experiences spiritual revival, we will fail as a nation.”
What my father said about America then is even truer now. We are losing our country and the freedoms we have enjoyed. As Bible-believing Christians, we are the ones who must take action before it’s too late.
A Carolinian named Larry, who drove several hours to attend the prayer rally in Columbia, said, “I believe God’s church is responsible for holding up His standard, His truth, and I want to do my part. I know God is raising up millions of people, and I want to be part of what God is doing.”
What can you do? First and foremost, pray. Pray for the nation, pray for this year’s elections, pray about how you will vote, and pray for lost people—when God sets out to change a nation, he starts with individual hearts. Second, commit yourself to vote at every opportunity, in the primaries, local elections, state elections, and national elections. Identify candidates most likely to uphold biblical values. Sometimes that choice will be hard, so do your research and pray carefully before deciding.
If at all possible, attend the Decision America Tour prayer rally when I come to your state capital or to another state capital near your home. Bring family and friends, bring your Bible study group, bring your church. There is something about coming together with a large number of like-minded believers to pray—openly in a prominent public place—that strengthens our faith, honors God, and conveys a powerful message to our communities and our government. As I write, we have 43 more states to go on our Decision America Tour schedule.
See Faces of the Decision America Tour
Thousands have joined Franklin Graham at the prayer rallies.
Photos
The tour itself is a huge undertaking, one of the largest we have ever embarked on in the 65-year history of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, and the expenses are considerable. But I believe God has called us to do this and that it is critically important. So much is at stake. We also continue to carry out the many other worldwide outreach ministries God has given us. None of this would be possible without your faithful prayers along with your financial support. Will you stand with us?
May God richly bless you,
Franklin Graham
President
