October 14, 2024

RESTORING AMERICA’S COVENANT WITH GOD

INTRODUCTION

It was an honor to serve my friend, Lou Engle, at the A Million Women gathering at the Washington Mall on Saturday. Though there were not a million gathered, I’ve heard estimates ranging from 250,000 to twice that; by noon their website had received 10,000,000 hits. Fifty nations also held companion events. It was truly unprecedented. 

Though challenging for people to sit or stand for such a long time in the heat of the day, they remained attentive and engaged. It was inspirational watching them! The words, testimonies, prayers, and decrees were VERY strong; the worship was powerful. 

I was asked by Lou to share for a few minutes regarding America renewing covenant with the Lord and lead in prayer to do so. Several people have asked for a copy of what I shared, so I am sharing portions of it on today’s post.

FROM THE MILLION WOMEN GATHERING

When we state that America has a covenant relationship with God, we are NOT saying the Lord entered into the type of covenant with our nation that He did with Abraham. And we’re certainly not suggesting that it is on the level of the covenant we enjoy with God through Christ. Nor are we implying that it is based on a blood sacrifice of some sort.

We are saying that early Pilgrims, settlers, and America’s Founders entered into alliances, agreements, and covenants with God. They did so through prayers, declarations, and written documents - including our founding documents. Our Founding Fathers made sacred, covenantal promises pledging to function under God’s government and care, to serve His purposes, to partner with and honor Him. And most importantly, America’s founding was inspired by God Himself. HE put HIS desire for this country’s birth into the founders’ hearts.

America absolutely has covenantal alliances with God…

RESTORATION

We are asking God to restore America’s covenant/alliance with Him. The word restoration in Scripture is a powerful word. It means “to reconstitute something back to its to its original condition and purpose.” We are asking for a reconstituting of our covenantal alliance and purpose as a nation.

AMERICA’S COVENANT WITH GOD

That America’s early leaders and Founders desired this type of covenantal relationship with God is undeniable. Here are a few statements/facts that demonstrate this:

• Robert Hunt planted a Cross on the beach at Cape Henry in 1607 and declared, “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.” After the prayer, he and the company read Psalm 22:27-28: “All the ends of the world shall remember and turn to the Lord, and all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before thee. For the kingdom is the Lord's, and he ruleth among the nations.”

• The Puritans in 1630 stated in the Mayflower Compact that their voyage was made “for the glory of God, and advancement of the Christian faith.”

• Their leader and first Governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, John Winthrop, declared that they had “entered into covenant with God for this work.” He also declared that God “shall make us a praise and glory… a city upon a Hill” (Matthew 5:14), which has been referenced by no less than 12 U.S. Presidents. 

• At the time of America’s quest to become a sovereign nation, the colonists openly declared, “We have no king but Jesus.”

• George Washington stated, “It is impossible to rightly govern the world without God and the Bible.”

• Samuel Adams, known as the Father of the American Revolution and a signer of the Declaration of Independence, stated, “The right to freedom is the gift of God Almighty… The rights of the Colonists as Christians may be best understood by reading, and carefully studying, the institutes of the great Lawgiver and head of the Christian Church: which are to be found clearly written and promulgated in the New Testament.”

After signing the Declaration, he declared: “We have this day restored the Sovereign, to whom all men are to be obedient. He reigns in heaven, and from the rising to the setting of the sun, let his kingdom come.”

• The Liberty Bell, which rang out at our birth as a nation, states “Proclaim liberty throughout the land to all the inhabitants thereof.” (Leviticus 25:10)

• Founder Patrick Henry stated, “It cannot be emphasized too strongly or too often that this great nation was founded, not by religionists, but by Christians; not on religions, but on the gospel of Jesus Christ.”

• Our sixth U.S. President, John Quincy Adams, declared, “The highest glory of the American Revolution was this: it connected in one indissoluble bond the principles of civil government with the principles of Christianity.”

• America’s Declaration of Independence refers to God four times: as nature’s God, the Creator who gave them their inalienable rights, the Supreme Judge of the world to whom they were appealing, and as the God of Divine Providence. 

• America’s independence was won under a banner of prayer that read “Appeal to Heaven.”

• George Washington, president of the Constitutional Convention in 1787, opened the gathering by saying, “…the event is in the hand of God.”

• When those present at the Convention struggled to agree on aspects of the Constitution, Benjamin Franklin appealed for prayer to ask God for His help. In his request to those present, he referenced God’s “superintending providence,” then stated: “To that kind providence we owe this happy opportunity of consulting in peace on the means of establishing our future national felicity. And have we now forgotten that powerful Friend? Or do we imagine we no longer need His assistance? 

“I have lived, Sir, a long time, and the longer I live the more convincing proofs I see of this truth – that God governs the affairs of men. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without His notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without His aid? 

“We have been assured, Sir, in the Sacred Writings, that ‘except the Lord, build the house, they labor in vain that build it.’ I firmly believe this; and I also believe that without His concurring aid, we shall succeed in this political building, no better than the builders of Babel… 

“I, therefore, beg leave to move – that henceforth prayers imploring the assistance of heaven, and its blessing on our deliberations, be held in this Assembly every morning before we proceed to business, and that one or more of the clergy of this city be requested to officiate in that service.” This request was approved, the prayers occurred, and the Constitution was born.

• And what of the individual states? God or the Divine is mentioned at least once in each of the 50 state constitutions, and nearly 200 times overall. 

Our Founders were intentional about their honor of, reliance on, submission to, and partnership with Yahweh and His Son, Jesus Christ!

RENEWING COVENANT (We will make this our prayer and decree today)

(many of these are the literal words of our Founding Fathers)

Declare with me: 

Whereas God is the Creator and rightful Owner of all the earth, including the United States of America;

Whereas He oversaw the creation and establishment of the U.S.A. for His purposes, including being “a city on a hill,” a light to other nations, and an “Evangelist to the world”; 

Whereas our ancestors covenanted with Him to honor “this most noble work” of partnering with Him “for the glory of God and the advancement of the Christian faith”;

Whereas we were founded “not by religionists, but by Christians; not on religions, but on the gospel of Jesus Christ.” 

Whereas our founding documents refer to Him as  “nature’s God,” “Creator,” “the Sovereign,” “the Supreme Judge,” the God of “Divine Providence,” and “our Lord”;

Whereas we are in covenant with God through Jesus Christ, which qualifies us to intercede, and are citizens of the USA, qualifying us to stand as her representatives; 

And whereas the USA has broken our agreements, our covenants with Almighty God, but we have repented for this.

We now appeal to You, Judge of Heaven and Earth, in the name of Yeshua, to forgive and cleanse our land. We pledge ourselves to You. And we ask for a restoration, a reconstituting of America’s covenantal relationship with You. 

We ask You to send a sweeping revival that impacts every area of our society and culture, including our government. And we ask that this revival restores a heart of humility, along with Your holy purpose of evangelizing the nations. May we represent Your Kingdom in every way You intended. We agree with our brother and forefather, Samuel Adams: “From the rising to the setting of the sun, let [Your] kingdom come.”

We ask for all of this in the name of Jesus, Amen.

Click on the link below to watch the full video.