“I think all of us are here today because we know our country is in trouble,” Franklin Graham told the crowd of about 1,400 that gathered Tuesday on the Utah Capitol steps to agree in prayer for America.
And like Franklin Graham does at each Decision America Tour stop, he had people join hands as they prayed—a symbol of unity as they call upon our Heavenly Father to hear their pleas for this land.
Franklin Graham wasn’t the only person in Salt Lake City who had unity on his mind.
Norma Valdez was one of the first people on the Utah Capitol steps waiting for the Decision America Tour prayer rally to begin.
Not only was she one of the first people there, but she also drove from Price, Utah, which is two hours away. And she came that distance with about 30 people from her church.
“I just wanted to make sure we had a spot and could be around all these praying people,” she said.
Jimmy Darter—her pastor at Liberty Faith Fellowship—came along for the trek north to join hundreds of others who were drawn together to pray for America.
As someone who has spent time on the mission field halfway around the world, Darter has a heightened level of appreciation for the religious freedoms we enjoy in the United States and for the Christian faith that once undergirded our nation.
But as a pastor in America, he sees a slippery slope. And that’s why he wanted to meet with other believers to pray.
“America, in some ways, has been a way-maker for other nations in terms of living out the Gospel, fighting for religious liberty and honoring God, in general,” Darter said. “But we’ve lost our way. We’re no longer leading by example, and that needs to change.”
His dear friend Ajay Torres, whom he met 17 years ago on the mission field in Zambia, happened to be visiting from Dallas, Texas.
Like Darter, he has a unique set of eyes for the spiritual state of America after having spent time on the international mission field.
“We as a people have gotten so complacent about our faith. Other nations have looked up to us (Americans) as examples, but we have failed them,” said Torres.
But the sight of believers from all ethnic backgrounds, denominations and ages coming together to intercede for America shines a glimmer of hope.
“As I stand here among all these brothers and sisters, I’m reminded of the passage in Matthew 18 that tells us if two or more agree in prayer, then our Father will hear us and it will be done,” Torres said. “And being here today reminds me that hope still lives.
“I mean, we could have stayed at home to pray, but there is so much power in gathering with hundreds or thousands of believers and praying for God to move in our country.”
Darter chimed in: “God honors unity.”
