Rededicating America to God
This Sunday, May 17, 2026, a large gathering of believers will take place on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. to rededicate our nation to God.
It’s called Rededicate 250–a critical part of our 250th national birthday.
I have participated in four similar prayer/repentance gatherings. The Call took place on September 2, 2000. Promisekeepers brought together possibly one million men on October 4, 1997. Washington for Jesus II happened on April 29, 1988, and the original Washington for Jesus gathering was held on April 29, 1980.
The first WFJ gathering changed my life trajectory and many people believe God answered our prayers with the coming Reagan Revolution of “Morning in America.”
Will you pray this Sunday to rededicate our nation to God?
Rededicating America to God
Very few nations have been founded consciously on faith in God and covenant with Him. Biblical Israel is the greatest historical example (Deuteronomy).
The United States of America is the most recent nation–making it an exceptional country in the world. The most influential people/groups in our history were God-fearing-and-God-loving people who believed that our obedience to Him would bring blessings to the world including the acceleration of the Great Commission.
Here are a few key moments when America was originally dedicated to God.
In 1607, an expedition led by Pastor Robert Hunt arrived in what is now Virginia Beach, Virginia. When they set foot on the beach, the group dedicated our country to the glory of God. They planted a rough-hewn wooden cross in the sand which they brought from England and prayed:
We do hereby dedicate this Land, and ourselves, to reach the People within these shores with the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and to raise up Godly generations after us, and with these generations take the Kingdom of God to all the earth. May this Covenant of Dedication remain to all generations, as long as this earth remains, and may this Land, along with England, be Evangelist to the World. May all who see this Cross, remember what we have done here, and may those who come here to inhabit join us in this Covenant and in this most noble work that the Holy Scriptures may be fulfilled.
The date was April 29, 1607. It’s why Washington for Jesus took place on April 29, 1980, some 373 years later. I’ve visited the historical site (monument) several times.
Next, the Pilgrims landed in Plymouth and drafted the first body politic document called the Mayflower Compact. They did it “in the Name of God” and for “the advancement of the Christian faith.”
Here are their famous words:
IN THE NAME OF GOD, AMEN. We, whose names are underwritten, the Loyal Subjects of our dread Sovereign Lord King James, by the Grace of God, of Great Britain, France, and Ireland, King, Defender of the Faith, &c. Having undertaken for the Glory of God, and Advancement of the Christian Faith, and the Honour of our King and Country, a Voyage to plant the first Colony in the northern Parts of Virginia; Do by these Presents, solemnly and mutually, in the Presence of God and one another, covenant and combine ourselves together into a civil Body Politick, for our better Ordering and Preservation, and Furtherance of the Ends aforesaid: And by Virtue hereof do enact, constitute, and frame, such just and equal Laws, Ordinances, Acts, Constitutions, and Officers, from time to time, as shall be thought most meet and convenient for the general Good of the Colony; unto which we promise all due Submission and Obedience.
I traveled to Plymouth Rock on December 15, 1988, and prayed at the “Monument to the Forefathers” where our Pilgrim ancestors dedicated the American continent to God’s purposes.
On July 4, 1776, the founding fathers signed the Declaration of Independence committing their lives and fortunes to God’s purposes for the new nation. We are celebrating the 250th anniversary of that great day on July 4, 2026.
Rededicate 250 is the spiritual lead-up to our 250th birthday party.
Are these national gatherings for prayer, praise, repentance, and dedication important to nations? Yes. They are critical to confess our sins and return to God in the spirit of 2 Chronicles 7:14.
The Bible describes many such moments when the nation of Israel gathered to repent, fast, and renew their covenant with God. They include:
- Under Samuel at Mizpah (1 Samuel 7). Following Philistine oppression, the Israelites gathered, fasted, confessed their sins and put away foreign gods (“We have sinned against the LORD”).
- Under King Jehoshaphat (2 Chronicles 20). Facing a massive invading alliance, the king proclaimed a fast for all Judah to gather them in Jerusalem to seek the Lord.
- Under King Hezekiah (2 Chronicles 29-31). After cleansing the Temple, Hezekiah gathered the people to renew the covenant and celebrate Passover.
- Under King Josiah (2 Kings 22-23). Upon finding the Book of the Law, Josiah gathered the nation to hear it and make a covenant to follow the Lord.
- Under Ezra (Ezra 10). Following the confession of the people’s sins, a massive assembly gathered in the rain to repent and address the issue of foreign marriages.
- Under Nehemiah (Nehemiah 9). The returned exiles gathered for a day of fasting, sackcloth, confession, and the reading of the law.
- In Nineveh (Jonah 3). Although not Israel, this is a major example of a national, city-wide gathering for repentance at the preaching of Jonah.
- The Day of Atonement (Leviticus 16). This was an annual, required day of national repentance and purification for the sins of all Israel. The Hebrew word often used for repentance is shuv, which means “to turn” or “turn back” to God, which happened frequently in the Bible. True repentance in the Old Testament was described as a change of direction, not just a verbal prayer, a renewal of covenant relationship to God.
With the growth of radical atheism and our turning away from God in U.S. culture, Rededicate 250 is a crucial opportunity to seek God for revival and national renewal.
May 17, 2026 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM, National Mall, Washington, D.C.
Here is the promo for Sunday’s national gathering:
Event Details
Date: Sunday, May 17, 2026
Time: 9:00 AM Gates Open (the event is free for those that gather)
10:45 AM-6:00 PM Full Program (streamed)
Location: National Mall, Washington, D.C. — Main Stage at 12th Street
The National Mall will be the scene of a historic gathering as Americans of every background across the country prepare for the nation’s 250th birthday with Scripture, testimony, prayer, and rededication of our country as One Nation to God. From morning fellowship in front of the U.S. Capitol to an evening filled with music anchored at the main stage on 12th Street, Rededicate 250 will be rooted in giving thanks for God’s presence in our national life throughout 250 years of American history and asking for his guidance for the next 250.
Three Pillars of the Day
Pillar I — The Miracles that Made Us: A reflection on God’s providence throughout 250 years, honoring the faith that inspired America’s founders and has carried us forward in every generation since.
Pillar II — The Miracles Still in Our Midst: Personal testimonies of God’s healing in our lives and in our land.
Pillar III — A New Birth of Faith and Freedom: A collective expression of gratitude for 250 years of freedom — and a unified moment of rededication asking for God’s blessing, guidance, and grace for the next 250.
There are moments in a nation’s history that either bring about their demise or help establish/renew the blessings of God upon a people.
May 17, 2026, is such a day.
Will you help rededicate America to God “for such a time as this?”
