No protests, no speeches … just prayer for America

Evangelist Franklin Graham says for believers, the most important weapon is prayer – and that’s what he and thousands of his brother and sisters in Christ were doing in America’s capital today: praying … for America.

The focus of Prayer March 2020 from the Lincoln Memorial to the U.S. Capitol – a walk of just under two miles – was prayer. That’s in contrast to the disorderly and sometimes violent protests that have been occurring in America’s larger cities in recent weeks and months.

Participants numbering in the thousands – including about 2,200 students from nearby Liberty University – began gathering at the Lincoln Memorial Plaza at 11:30 Eastern time for what was estimated to be approximately two hours of walking and silent prayer. There were no amplified speeches from a podium during the march – only quiet, solemn prayer; and no placards or political signs supporting any candidate or party.

More images from Prayer March 2020 appear below

At several stops along the march route (see below), various Christian leaders were asked to pray specifically for areas of concern among Americans. For example:

• Dr. Alveda King, the niece of the late Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., prayed for racial reconciliation and compassion at the National Museum of African American History & Culture. She was joined in prayer at that stop by former Major League Baseball star Darryl Strawberry.
• Pastor Greg Laurie of Riverside, California, prayed – with the White House in the background – for Godly wisdom to settle on the President, Vice President, and others working in the Executive Branch of the government.
• At the National Archives, Pastor Andrew Brunson – who had been imprisoned in Turkey for two years for his religious faith – focused his prayer on religious freedom and urged Christians in America to stand for their faith unashamedly. He was joined in prayer by former U.S. Congressman Frank Wolf of Virginia.
• Standing before the U.S. Capitol, evangelist and author Anne Graham Lotz was joined in prayer by Pastor Jack Graham from Prestonwood Baptist Church (Plano, Texas) that the legislators in Congress would make laws that glorify God, and that they would be led and guided by the Lord in their deliberations. Graham also prayed specifically for the end of “the holocaust of abortion” and for President Trump’s Supreme Court nominee to be announced later in the day.

Focus of the prayers

Prayer March 2020 was “a dedicated prayer march – not a protest, and not a rally supporting any candidate or political party,” according to the event’s website. The prayer focus changed at several points along the march’s route:

• Lincoln Memorial: Humbling ourselves in repentance and asking God to forgive our sins and heal our land.
• WWII Memorial: Our military, police and other law enforcement, firefighters, and their families. Security and peace for the nation.
• Washington Monument: Salvation of the lost. Renewed strength in our families. Solutions to the coronavirus pandemic and for frontline medical workers. An end to abortion.
• White House: President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence and their families. All those who work in the White house and in the Executive Branch of the government.
• National Museum of African American History & Culture: Compassion and kindness toward one another. Respect and reconciliation between races. Healing in communities torn by violence and injustice.
• National Archives: Religious freedom. Boldness for churches to stand firm with the Word of God and to preach Jesus Christ in a troubled world.
• U.S. Capitol: Our Congress and other leaders at the national, state, and local levels. The Supreme Court and judges across the nation.

The march was livestreamed so those who were unable to attend in person had the opportunity to pray along with those in Washington, DC. The livestream was hosted by Mike Huckabee, former governor of Arkansas, and Cissie Graham Lynch, daughter of Franklin Graham.