Jesus warned us, “A kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, a house divided against itself will fall” (Luke 11:17).
Not since the days of Abraham Lincoln has America been tested by such bitter divisions. Yet through our year of testing, God has set three milestones to help us overcome it and lead us into the Year of the Lord’s Favor.
During his time of testing in 1863, Lincoln called for a Solemn Assembly, asking the people to unite in their churches and homes to humble themselves, fast and pray; to repent of their pride; and to seek God’s forgiveness and the restoration of unity and peace. On July 4 of that year, God began answering Lincoln’s prayers when the tide of war turned as the Confederates began their retreat after losing the battle of Gettysburg, and the Union captured the last Confederate stronghold on the Mississippi River. In the end, Lincoln overcame the test and kept the promise of equality made in the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776.
Now we come to another July 4, one being celebrated as the milestone 250th anniversary of American Independence. As in Lincoln’s day, we face war, uncertainty, social turmoil, and division, which are testing our nation. This is an urgent hour, and the Church must shake off its slumber to humble itself, pray, and repent to bring healing to our land (2 Chron. 7:14).
For July 4, let us come against the spiritual darkness over our land in the opposite spirit, not pride but humility, and not division but unity. As in Lincoln’s day, we should come together in Sacred Assemblies in our churches and homes on Friday night, July 3, to repent of our pride and pray for unity around the Christian American values of equality, life, and liberty proclaimed in the Declaration of Independence. We also remember that the American Colonies in 1776 had diverse cultures and religious traditions, yet unified in their diversity to form our nation. Today, we believe that God is calling us to answer Jesus’s prayer for Christian unity in our diversity so that the world will know God sent Him (John 17:23). Be sure to take a free download of The American Wake Up Call Prayer Guide for suggestions on prayer for July 4.
On August 12, 40 days after July 3, comes another significant milestone: the 2000th Anniversary of Jesus’s ministry. Many scholars, including those who produced the Zondervan Study Bible, believe that Jesus began His ministry in the summer of 26 AD when He went into the desert for forty days of testing. As an observant Jew, Jesus probably would have gone during the Jewish 40-day summer season of repentance and returning to God, known as Teshuvah. In His time of testing, Jesus humbled Himself and confirmed His trust, His commitment, and His obedience to God, emerging victorious (Luke 4:1-13).
Two thousand years later, we believe the Lord is calling us to hold sacred assemblies on the first day of Teshuvah, Wednesday, August 12, to begin 40 days of prayer through Teshuvah, humbling ourselves and praying so that we can emerge victorious from our time of testing, as Jesus did.
The last day of Teshuvah, September 20, is the Jewish day of Atonement, when the years of Jubilee were proclaimed at the beginning of each 49-year Jubilee cycle. The year of Jubilee was the Year of the Lord’s Favor when liberty was proclaimed, and the land was restored, picturing the healing of the land. This year, 2026, is the 70th Jubilee Year since Israel entered the Promised Land in 1406 BC, and September 20 is the third milestone.
After He emerged victorious from His testing, Jesus announced His ministry using imagery of Jubilee, proclaiming liberty and The Year of The Lord’s Favor (Luke 4:18-19). On Sunday night, September 20, we believe that God is calling us to celebrate the Jubilee, proclaim liberty and The Year of The Lord’s Favor, and dedicate ourselves to taking the Gospel to our cities.
Take a free download of The American Wake Up Call Prayer Guide for suggestions and information about prayer through Teshuvah and the Sacred Assemblies on August 12 and September 20.
Jesus Himself explained God’s purpose in sending The Year of The Lord’s Favor: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me because He has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim The Year of The Lord’s Favor” (Luke 4:18-19).
We are praying for nothing less than a fresh outpouring of the Holy Spirit, the proclaiming of the Gospel, liberty and wholeness, and the transformation of America.
We are asking you to download The American Wake Up Call 2026 Prayer Guide for free and join us in prayer. Then invite your family, prayer group, and church to take their place to pray and proclaim The Year of The Lord’s Favor.
“Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord” Psalm 146:15.
Ron Allen is a Christian businessman who is the founder of the American Wake Up Call, serves as North American Director of United in Christ, a ministry of reconciliation between Christians, and is President of the DFW Prayer Alliance.
