Tens of thousands of people swarmed the Lincoln Memorial, all with one common goal—to pray for our nation.
So, it was quite a surprise, when one of the very people to be lifted up by a sea of Christians gathering together from across the country, slipped in just as the Washington Prayer March 2020 began.
Appearing from stage right—catching everyone off guard—Vice President Mike Pence.
>>Watch a replay of Prayer March 2020
And the vice president came to say one thing to the prayer warriors flanking the National Mall:
“I just want to say ‘Thank you for your prayers,’” he said. “And the president wanted to be here to simply say, ‘Thank you for your prayers.’”
For it is a nation of praying people who have sustained our country.
“When the president and I travel around the country,” the vice president continued, “the sweetest words we ever hear, and we hear them a lot, when people reach out and simply say ‘I’m praying for you.’”
Vice President Pence gave several examples of the importance of prayer and the leadership of a country.
George Washington often prayed for the leaders of the country and each state with an “earnest prayer” Pence said. Abraham Lincoln has been quoted in the White House saying, “I have been driven many times to my knees by the overwhelming conviction I had nowhere else to go.”
And that’s exactly what drove so many to the nation’s capital, just six weeks before the election and at a time when the country seems more divided than ever.
“In these challenging times, we are to remember that in everything by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, we are to present our requests to God,” he said.
“The Bible tells us to persevere in prayer. That the prayer of the upright pleases Him. That the effect of the fervent prayer of the righteous people availeth much.”
Vice President Pence closed his short address to the crowd, leading them in a familiar verse, 2 Chronicles 7:14.
“And when you pray, pray with confidence,” he said. “We stand today on an ancient promise that Americans have claimed throughout history, that if His people who are called by His name should humble themselves and pray, He’ll hear from heaven and He’ll heal this land.”
