America's Story (part 23) - Countdown to 250!

 

Declaration of Independence/wkipedia.com

July 4, 1776

The United States of America was born on that date, recognized as the signing and final approval of the Declaration of Independence.

One of its most well-known statements:

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

And the signers ended this declaration on a solemn note:

And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.

The anniversary of this quarter of a millennium milestone is coming up in two years: 

1776 to 2026

Countdown to 250 years!

And many across America are preparing for this celebration....

https://youtu.be/e0TxB7g4jT0?si=FmaJFsT4RMmAUyah

For more information on the big 250: America 250

Since 1776, America grew and met many challenges. Who are we as a people? Some have tried to answer that best in poetry and song:

I am the nation

https://youtu.be/Fw4Z6Hdxyo0?si=VufZN5v2bl4AUBL3

John Wayne has been seen as a personification of America throughout her evolution. 

For more information: John Wayne: Icon Of America's Booming Confidence

And in 1970, John Wayne and other well-known celebrities of the 20th century ended their show of American History with this patriotic song:

https://youtu.be/JnPbhbluS6Y?si=bATJzXLdXOFOcQad

Happy Birthday, America

as we countdown 

to her 250th!

And 

God Bless America!

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For other posts on this thread, search:

America's Story

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Photo: Declaration of Independence/wkipedia.com

 

Pray4America (part 19) - Australia has our back in prayer!

Australia/Wikipedia.com

National Day of Prayer

The 65th annual National Day of Prayer is set to be observed on May 5, 2016. And they have our back, down under, for the last 40 days.

(reference:  https://youtu.be/PHG5SoXOQoA )

The National Day of Prayer has a long history in the United States. It started in 1775 by the Continental Congress. Ronald Reagan amended Harry Truman's bill, designating the day of the first Thursday of May each year for the National Day of Prayer. [reference:  National Day of Prayer in the United States ]

* For more information: nationaldayofprayer.org

As we come to this week, other nations have America in their prayers, such as Australia with a ....

Global Call: Prayer and Fasting for America

Below is an appeal for that global call for prayer and fasting for America: April 30 - May 5, 2016. The example is Abraham Lincoln's call for a national day of prayer and fasting during the Civil War on April 30, 1863. [ reference: Abraham Lincoln: Proclamation 97 ]

(reference:  https://youtu.be/lKFTLjcS4LE )

Before the United States became of nation, events in the past indicated Providence had intervened during time of peril. One such crisis was the French Fleet, seeking vengeance on Britain and the American Colonies in 1746, which brought about the ...

Fast Day Proclamation, October 16, 1746

The Governor Of Massachusetts, William Shirley, declared A Day Of Prayer And Fasting For Deliverance - as a French invasion seemed imminent. The clip below reminds us of this deliverance:

(reference:  https://youtu.be/NxHeLHQekcs )

* reference: The Miraculous Defeat of the French Fleet, 1746

Another great crisis in American history came during the Civil War. This rift brought America to her knees. So came the call for a ...

Day of Repentance – April 30, 1863

Abraham Lincoln's proclamation of a National Day of Humiliation, prayer and Fasting for 30th April 1863 is read in the clip below with an appeal for forgiveness:

(reference:  https://youtu.be/fAXKOoSMEr0 )

* reference the prayer: Proclamation Appointing a National Fast Day

Ezekiel Prayer for America

I looked for someone
among them who would ...

stand before Me in the gap 

on behalf of the land ....

Ezekiel 22:30 (NIV)

And Australia is standing the gap for our land with this prayer:

(reference: https://youtu.be/bxTKJwdMcEw )

If My people,
which are called by My Name,
shall humble themselves,
and pray, and seek My face,
 and turn from their wicked ways;
then will I hear from heaven,
and will forgive their sin,
and will heal their land.

II Chronicles 4:17 (KJV)
 

Keep praying for America

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Previous posts in this series:

Pray4America (part 1) - National Day of Prayer (2012)

Pray4America (part 2) - FDR's prayer on D-Day (2012)

Pray4America (part 3) - FDR's Flag Day prayer - June 14, 1942 (2012)

Pray4America (part 4) - It's a Wonderful Life, America (2012)

Pray4America (part 5) - United we stand? (2012)

Pray4America (part 6) - Christmas in Iran 1980 (2012)

Pray4American (part 7) - For such a time as this (2013)

Pray4America (part 8) - Fear no evil (2013)

Pray4America (part 9) - America, the Beautiful - 1893 to 2013 (2013)

Pray4America (part 10) - Real Hope for America  (2013)

Pray4America (part 11) - New Year Reset  (2013)

Pray4America (part 12) - George Washington's Knee-Mails (2014)

Pray4America (part 13) - Apollo 13 Reflections and Prayer (2014)

Pray4America (part 14) - We are Americans (2014)

Pray4America (part 15) - Communion on the Moon (2014)

Pray4America (part 16) - God Bless America, 1938 (2014)

Pray4America (part 17) - Washington and Providence (2015)

Pray4America (part 18) - Australia Prays for America (2015) 

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Photo: Australia/Wikipedia.com

Pray4America (part 16) - God Bless America, 1938

everystockphoto.com/RoadTrip

Irving Berlin (1888-1989) originally wrote God Bless America for the military revue Yip! Yip! Yaphank! in 1918 during World War I.  Twenty years later, the composer changed a few words, and it was reintroduced on Armistice Day (today, known as, Veterans Day) in 1938 on The Kate Smith Show.  The song - a solemn prayer for peace - tapped into the national psyche as World War II was about to break out.

[reference:  The story behind Irving Berlin's "God Bless America"]

Below is a dramatization of that reintroduction from the 1943 movie, This is the Army.  One of the stars, Ronald Reagan, is shown at 4:20 in this clip:

(reference: http://youtu.be/TnQDW-NMaRs )

As World War One (1914-1918) began 100 years ago and World War Two (1939-1945) 75 years ago, this Veterans Day, let us be grateful for our heroes who sacrificed for freedom and protected us.  Also, may we offer our solemn prayers and ...

Pray for America

May God be gracious to us and bless us

    and make his face shine on us—

that your ways may be known on earth,

    your salvation among all nations.
 Psalm 67:1,2 (NIV) 

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Previous posts in this series:

Pray4America (part 1) - National Day of Prayer (2012)

Pray4America (part 2) - FDR's prayer on D-Day (2012)

Pray4America (part 3) - FDR's Flag Day prayer - June 14, 1942 (2012)

Pray4America (part 4) - It's a Wonderful Life, America (2012)

Pray4America (part 5) - United we stand? (2012)

Pray4America (part 6) - Christmas in Iran 1980 (2012)

Pray4American (part 7) - For such a time as this (2013)

Pray4America (part 8) - Fear no evil (2013)

Pray4America (part 9) - America, the Beautiful - 1893 to 2013 (2013)

Pray4America (part 10) - Real Hope for America  (2013)

Pray4America (part 11) - New Year Reset  (2013)

Pray4America (part 12) - George Washington's Knee-Mails (2014)

Pray4America (part 13) - Apollo 13 Reflections and Prayer (2014)

Pray4America (part 14) - We are Americans (2014)

Pray4America (part 15) - Communion on the Moon (2014)

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Photo from:  everystockphoto.com/RoadTrip