Just a few of the many wise words spoken at the Rededicate 250 rally in Washington today:
(from a Facebook post - author unknown)
Donald Trump read from 2 Chronicles 7:
“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.”
Tulsi Gabbard askedAmericans to humble themselves before God.
She reflected on how America’s founders “didn’t stride forward in pride” but instead “knelt” and “asked for God’s mercy” just weeks before declaring independence.
“They asked for his guidance because they knew that the cause before them was beyond their own strength," Gabbard said. “Now, today, exactly 250 years later, we gather here on the National Mall to do the same, to give thanks, to ask for forgiveness, and to humbly ask once more for God's mercy and guidance as we enter the next 250 years of this Republic."
Gabbard also said leaders too often see themselves as “the controllers.”
“We lose sight of the fact that we are tiny, and our time on this planet is extremely short, and yet we see ourselves as the controllers competing with each other over who is number one,” she said. “But the truth is, there's only one number one, and that's God.”
3. Vice President JD Vance
Vance said America has “always been” and remains a “nation of prayer”, pointing to George Washington’s 1789 Thanksgiving proclamation, and argued that faith has been part of America’s identity since before the nation’s founding.
“The duty Washington describes to honor, obey, and give thanks to our creator was woven into America's character long before the founding,” Vance said. “… We have always been and still are a nation of prayer. And thank God for that. In times of suffering and in times of triumph, millions of Americans continue to turn to prayer and their faith in God.”
Vance also quoted the late Charlie Kirk while arguing America’s moral foundation is rooted in religion.
“As my dear friend, the late, great Charlie Kirk put it, all law reflects a morality. Neither law nor morality appears in a vacuum, but ultimately come from religion."
The vice president also praised what he described as a growing return to faith among young Americans, saying many are seeking “meaning,” “direction” and “closeness with God. Prayer is not merely something we do in times of crisis."
4. War Secretary Pete Hegseth
Hegseth said George Washington and his troops faced cold and starvation while the future of American independence appeared grim when they took refuge at Valley Forge in the winter of 1777.
As men began to desert, Washington wrote to Congress asking for help, writing that the army may starve, dissolve or disperse, according to Hegseth. But Congress could offer little help at that time.
Even Washington’s pastor had lost faith, according to Hegseth, writing to the general that he should surrender and ask forgiveness from the British king.
“But George Washington did not lose faith,” Hegseth said. "We know the painting of him at Valley Forge. One hangs in my office. Kneeling in the deep snow, his hat and sword nearby, Washington bows his head amid all the bleak nights, the loss and despair, the lack of proper support, George Washington performed a profound act. He prayed.”
“Let us pray as he did. Let us pray without ceasing. Let us pray for our nation on bended knee. And let us ask our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, as Washington did on that momentous day.”
5. House Speaker Mike Johnson
“Heavenly Father, we thank you," Johnson said. "Thank you so much for this great day that you've given us here, and we remember that your mighty hand has been upon our nation since the very beginning."
Johnson reflected on the Revolutionary War and the founding of the U.S., noting that the Second Continental Congress held a day of “humiliation, fasting, and prayer” before the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
"Just weeks later, Lord, on July 4th, 1776, you gave 56 patriots the courage and the conviction to sign their names to the Declaration of Independence, forming 13 distinct and disparate colonies into a new nation which would become, by your mercy and grace, the freest, most successful, most benevolent nation in the history of the world.”
“Our founders acknowledged and boldly proclaimed the self-evident truth that every single person is created in your image, and that we are endowed by you, our creator, with our unalienable rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”
6. Cissie Graham Lynch, granddaughter of Billy Graham
Lynch said Sunday that America “especially” needs God now, arguing America’s strength comes from faith and prayer with a foundation rooted in the belief “we need God.”
“For 250 years, this nation has returned again and again to the God who created this beautiful country that we get to call home. We do this not because we're perfect people. We're not. But woven into the fabric of America is a deep and persistent belief that we cannot persevere on our own — that we need God,” Lynch said.
Lynch argued America’s “true source of strength” is found “when we humble ourselves before God.”
7. Alveda King, niece of Martin Luther King
"This nation was founded on godly principles," King said. “We are one blood” and people of all races “can learn to live together as brothers and sisters.”
She also pushed back on the idea of a strict separation between church and state, saying “It's never a good idea to try to leave God out of anything.”
“It's time for us all to repent — to go to God and say we got it wrong, help us get it right”
8. Jonathan Roumie, actor playing Jesus in “The Chosen”
Roumie urged Americans to recommit to faith and the idea of being “one nation under God” and said prayer has been central to both his life and America’s identity.
“At the center of faith lies prayer,” Roumie said. “… Prayer is a kind of heavenly cargo shuttle, lifting our wants, our needs, and our gratitude toward heaven, open to anybody and everybody, willing to humble themselves at the feet of their creator, faithful and fallen alike."
Roumie said faith is essential to playing the role of Jesus “because if God hands you the assignment of portraying on a global stage his own son, the Savior of the world … and you do not have faith, Lord help you.”
“For 250 years we have endeavored to be one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. May we be that nation once more. May we rededicate ourselves to all that the Lord is calling us to these next 250 years. And may we, the citizens of the United States of America, never cease praying for our leaders, for each other, for our nation, and for the world.”
