Press ReleaseCeremonial2026-05-18

Speaker Johnson Leads Nation in Prayer of Rededication

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This press release from Representative Mike Johnson (R-LA) was published on 2026-05-18 and titled "Speaker Johnson Leads Nation in Prayer of Rededication".

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Speaker Johnson Leads Nation in Prayer of Rededication

WASHINGTON — Yesterday at Rededicate 250, Speaker Johnson led thousands gathered on the National Mall in a prayer of rededication, acknowledging God’s providence over the past 250 years and seeking His blessing for the next 250. Watch Speaker Johnson’s full remarks here . Below are Speaker Johnson’s remarks as delivered: “Thank you so much, my friends. It is such a blessing to welcome you all here to the nation's capital. My humble assignment here today is to bring us straight to the Lord in a prayer of rededication. Would you join me in that? Our Heavenly Father, we thank you. Thank you so much for this great day that you've given us here, as we remember that your mighty hand has been upon our nation since the very beginning. Since Christopher Columbus set sail in the New World, since the settlers at Jamestown planted the cross at Cape Henry, and since the pilgrims at Plymouth made a covenant to give you the glory, in all that time, you guided us at every pivotal moment. And when our forefathers took up the great cause of American independence, they turned to you in steadfast prayer. On this very day, two and a half centuries ago, the Second Continental Congress gathered in Philadelphia. Facing imminent battle and almost certain death, our Founders held a decisive day of what they called ‘humiliation, fasting and prayer.’ They did that to humble themselves and to seek your guidance at the dawn of their fight for freedom. 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 distant 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. In those early days, you safeguarded George Washington and his ragtag army as they defeated the mightiest of empires. And you gave our fathers the wisdom and faith to establish this new nation premised on the biblical and foundational principle that all men are created equal and free before you. Through your divine providence, 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 inalienable rights to life and liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Lord, we know that that Declaration, which has been recognized as our nation's creed, has also been the inspiration for the single greatest force for peace and justice and human flourishing. It set in motion a chain of events that altered the very course of human history, and today as we seek to fulfill its true meaning, those self-evident truths still guide our nation and still call us to honor and cherish and protect the dignity of every human life. Lord, today, our people gather once again in your name. We have humbled ourselves before you. We acknowledge that the miracle of our founding, and the countless miracles that have followed, are your doing. We remember that we owe our nation – every victory, every hero, every good deed she has brought forth – to you, Almighty God. Amid a bloody civil war, you gave Abraham Lincoln the vision and the fortitude to ignite a ‘new birth of freedom.’ And in the turbulent years that followed you, you offered us healing and restoration, calling us even then, to the better angels of our nature. When our allies in Europe fell prey to the dark shadow of fascism, you equipped our greatest generation with the strength to defend and liberate Western Civilization. You filled the sojourners of the civil rights movement with your spirit as they challenged their generation to live up to the promises enshrined in the Declaration. In the 20th century, you gave brave leaders like President Ronald Reagan, the courage and heart to speak boldly to the promise of God-given liberty and the emptiness of godless Soviet tyranny. At the dawn of a new century when terrorists struck our homeland on September 11th, you gave 44 heroes on Flight 93 your divine courage to thwart that murderous attack. You drove out fear out of the hearts of rescuers and first responders who ran upstairs and into fires to help those in need. And in the years that followed, as we cleared the ashes and debris, you healed our broken hearts and you revealed again, the fierce, unbreakable spirit of the American people. Every day since, over each of our 250 years, America has been a land of hope and liberty, a place of miracles, and the ‘light and glory’ of all nations because of you. Now as we approach the 250th anniversary of American Independence, we face a new set of challenges in a new era. In recent years, we've seen sinister ideologies sow confusion and discord among our people. We've witnessed attacks on our history, on our heroes, and on the cherished moral and spiritual identity of this great nation. These voices insist to the young and impressionable that our story – the American story – is one of o

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Speaker Johnson Leads Nation in Prayer of Rededication WASHINGTON — Yesterday at Rededicate 250, Speaker Johnson led thousands gathered on the National Mall in a prayer of rededication, acknowledging God’s providence over the past 250 years and seeking His blessing for the next 250. Watch Speaker Johnson’s full remarks here . Below are Speaker Johnson’s remarks as delivered: “Thank you so much, my friends. It is such a blessing to welcome you all here to the nation's capital. My humble assignment here today is to bring us straight to the Lord in a prayer of rededication. Would you join me in that? Our Heavenly Father, we thank you. Thank you so much for this great day that you've given us here, as we remember that your mighty hand has been upon our nation since the very beginning. Since Christopher Columbus set sail in the New World, since the settlers at Jamestown planted the cross at Cape Henry, and since the pilgrims at Plymouth made a covenant to give you the glory, in all that time, you guided us at every pivotal moment. And when our forefathers took up the great cause of American independence, they turned to you in steadfast prayer. On this very day, two and a half centuries ago, the Second Continental Congress gathered in Philadelphia. Facing imminent battle and almost certain death, our Founders held a decisive day of what they called ‘humiliation, fasting and prayer.’ They did that to humble themselves and to seek your guidance at the dawn of their fight for freedom. 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 distant 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. In those early days, you safeguarded George Washington and his ragtag army as they defeated the mightiest of empires. And you gave our fathers the wisdom and faith to establish this new nation premised on the biblical and foundational principle that all men are created equal and free before you. Through your divine providence, 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 inalienable rights to life and liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Lord, we know that that Declaration, which has been recognized as our nation's creed, has also been the inspiration for the single greatest force for peace and justice and human flourishing. It set in motion a chain of events that altered the very course of human history, and today as we seek to fulfill its true meaning, those self-evident truths still guide our nation and still call us to honor and cherish and protect the dignity of every human life. Lord, today, our people gather once again in your name. We have humbled ourselves before you. We acknowledge that the miracle of our founding, and the countless miracles that have followed, are your doing. We remember that we owe our nation – every victory, every hero, every good deed she has brought forth – to you, Almighty God. Amid a bloody civil war, you gave Abraham Lincoln the vision and the fortitude to ignite a ‘new birth of freedom.’ And in the turbulent years that followed you, you offered us healing and restoration, calling us even then, to the better angels of our nature. When our allies in Europe fell prey to the dark shadow of fascism, you equipped our greatest generation with the strength to defend and liberate Western Civilization. You filled the sojourners of the civil rights movement with your spirit as they challenged their generation to live up to the promises enshrined in the Declaration. In the 20th century, you gave brave leaders like President Ronald Reagan, the courage and heart to speak boldly to the promise of God-given liberty and the emptiness of godless Soviet tyranny. At the dawn of a new century when terrorists struck our homeland on September 11th, you gave 44 heroes on Flight 93 your divine courage to thwart that murderous attack. You drove out fear out of the hearts of rescuers and first responders who ran upstairs and into fires to help those in need. And in the years that followed, as we cleared the ashes and debris, you healed our broken hearts and you revealed again, the fierce, unbreakable spirit of the American people. Every day since, over each of our 250 years, America has been a land of hope and liberty, a place of miracles, and the ‘light and glory’ of all nations because of you. Now as we approach the 250th anniversary of American Independence, we face a new set of challenges in a new era. In recent years, we've seen sinister ideologies sow confusion and discord among our people. We've witnessed attacks on our history, on our heroes, and on the cherished moral and spiritual identity of this great nation. These voices insist to the young and impressionable that our story – the American story – is one of o