Answers to Prayers that Inspired a Nation

 

For the month of January, our church is having 21 days of fasting and prayer. I became curious about some of the historical calls to prayer and fasting. In my research, I found many since the first settlers came to this continent. But we are not always told what the answers were in history books. Let me share a few significant answers to those calls to prayer and fasting.

Powerful answer to prayer in 1746

During the French and Indian War, prayer stopped the advance of the enemy. France desperately wanted Novia Scotia and other parts of Canada back from Britain. They also wanted to damage the colonies on the east coast of America.

French Admiral Jean-Pierre Louis Frederic de La Rochefoucauld de Roye, Duc d'Anville took  command of a fleet of 70 ships and 13,000 troops to fulfilled that desire. He arrogantly proclaimed he would take back Louisburg, Nova Scotia, and wreak havoc along America's east coast all the way to Georgia. Burning Boston was on his agenda.

A Day of Prayer and Fasting was called by Massachusetts Governor William Shirley on October 16, 1746, after hearing the plan for the French invasion. 

Here's a snippet about the prayer meeting.

 Reverend Thomas Prince, standing in the Old South Meeting House, prayed: "Send Thy tempest, Lord, upon the water… scatter the ships of our tormentors!"

According to Historian Catherine Drinker Bowen, as he finished his prayer the sky darkened, wind shrieked and church bells rang "a wild uneven sound… though no man was in the steeple."

Wrought with calamity

Admiral D'Anville's mission was slow to start. For reasons not explained, the fitting of the ship was slow and difficult. It didn't sail until June 22, 1746. Their journey took three months rather than the average six to eight weeks.

At the beginning of the journey, adverse winds slowed the fleet

Typhus and scurvy broke out onboard.

In the Azores, the fleet was trapped in a long dead calm. When the wind finally picked up, it became a vicious storm. Lightning struck several vessels. One ship's magazine, struck by lightning, ignited into a fire, caught the ammunition on fire and exploded, killing or wounding thirty men.

By August 24^th they had been at sea for two months but were still 1,400 km (870 miles) away from Nova Scotia.

September 10^th. The flag ship and a few others had arrived at Sable Island, off the coast of Nova Scotia. A violent gale scattered the fleet three days later. The damaged ships were forced to return to France.

By the time the expedition arrived in Nova Scotia in late September, hundreds of soldiers and sailors had died from typhus, scurvy and typhoid, and hundreds more were gravely ill.

Six days later, September 27^th, Admiral d'Anville died from a stroke.

His replacement Admiral Constantin-Louis d'Estourmel became overwhelmed and attempted suicide before resigning.

And the commander who took over, the Marquis de la Jonquiere, had planned to go ahead with the attack even with sick soldiers. Even after reinforcements arrived, Jonquiere changed his mind. He ordered his fleet back to France and told the Indian and French reinforcements to go home.

A poem immortalized the event.

The prayer was so powerful and the event so startling that Henry Wadsworth Longfellow wrote his Ballad of the French Fleet retelling the tale.  Click here to read.

In 1774

On May 24, 1774, in response to the British Blockade of the Boston Harbor, Thomas Jeffereson drafted a resolution in the Virgina House of Burgesses declaring a day of Fasting, Humiliation, and Prayer "to implore the Divine interposition, for averting the heavy calamity which threatened destruction of our civil rights."

Virginia's Royal Governor, Lord Dunmore, considered the prayer resolution as a protest against King George. He dissolved the House of Burgesses. The legislatures moved their meeting to the loyal tavern and began planning the Continental Congress.

How exciting to know the response to a prayer pushed the founding fathers to press on.

Another powerful answer to prayer

1814

James Madison declared a Day of Prayer during the War of 1812. (1812-1815)

America was struggling to win the war. Britain was in a vengeful mood over the burning and looting of York in northern Canada. Madison requested the Day of prayer and fasting knowing the British were headed their way. Madison and the legislature had already fled Washington City (present day D.C.) They'd remove important documents.

On August 25, 1814, British soldier set fire to the White House, the Capital and a few other government buildings. We learned in school that the British only occupied D.C. for 26 hours. But it is rarely mentioned in history textbooks the why behind it. Dark clouds rolled in and a tornado touched down, sending debris flying. The British were bombarded with sections of roofs and chimneys. Horses and their riders pelted to the ground. Two cannons flew up in the air and landed yards away. It is said more British soldiers were killed by nature than from all the weapons of the Americans. Rain followed the tornado, extinguishing the fires. Americans saw it as Providence intervening. 

 

National Days of Prayer

Over the centuries, presidents have called for national days of prayer. I wonder what miracles were performed by God because of those prayers. In this new year, perhaps our prayers will turn the tide of unrest in a way that can only be attributed to God.

Cindy Ervin Huff, is a multi-published award-winning author in Historical and Contemporary Romance.  She’s a 2018 Selah Finalist. Cindy has a passion to encourage other writers on their journey. When she isn’t writing, she feeds her addiction to reading and enjoys her retirement with her husband of 50 plus years, Charles. Visit her at www.cindyervinhuff.com.

 

.