Prayer really can move mountains.
In an interview with Katie Souza during Media Day 2025 presented by Charisma Media, Jonathan Cahn expressed how the power of prayer has changed the trajectory America’s future not once or twice, but three times in our history.
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The first moment came in 1980, when the country faced a downward spiral—economic devastation, a humiliating hostage crisis in Iran, and an overwhelming sense of despair. “It was like the end of the American age,” Cahn recalled. Yet in that darkness, thousands of believers gathered at the National Mall for a solemn assembly called Washington for Jesus. With hands stretched toward the Capitol, they prayed two specific things: that God would rescue the hostages and raise up righteous leaders.
Months later, both prayers were answered. Ronald Reagan swept into office in a political revolution. As he stood on the West Terrace—overlooking the very ground where hands were lifted in prayer—his hand rested on a Bible opened to 2 Chronicles 7:14. At the exact moment Reagan took the oath of office, the American hostages were released. What followed was a season of restoration—economic renewal, military strength and even the fall of the Soviet Union.
Fast forward to 2020. Amid a global pandemic and cultural chaos, Cahn alongside Kevin Jessip felt led to host another national gathering called The Return. The focus: repentance. With heartfelt cries for mercy, thousands filled the National Mall once again. Cahn brought a potter’s jar and smashed it as a prophetic act—like Jeremiah—mourning the blood of aborted children.
Unbeknownst to them, The Return fell on Shabbat Shuvah, the ancient Hebrew day of repentance. Even more astonishing, eight days before the event, Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg—long associated with pro-abortion rulings—passed away. President Trump would choose her replacement, and he announced his nomination of Amy Coney Barrett at 5:04 p.m., the precise moment Cahn declared, “Let the trumpets sound!” Barrett would go on to be the deciding vote in overturning Roe v. Wade—the exact breakthrough they prayed for.
Fast-forwarding, Cahn with Lou Engle led a women’s movement of “Esthers” to confront the spirit of Ishtar. The biblical Esther defeated the enemy of God’s people, saving the Jews from certain destruction. Now, thousands of praying women were taking that mantle in a modern-day showdown.
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When we look at the pattern of answered prayers for our nation, something is very clear: When God’s people gather, humble themselves, and repent, He answers. These divine intersections reveal that when God’s people humble themselves and pray, heaven responds with unmistakable power. In every national turning point, it’s not political strategy but prophetic obedience that shifts the course of history.
Abby Trivett is content development editor for Charisma Media.
