Introduction
Join Parkview Baptist Church, Baton Rouge as we commit to 250 Hours of Prayer between June 24 and July 4, 2026, and lift up our church, community, and nation. Written by the PBCBR staff, this guide provides daily devotional insights and prayers to help you remain constant in prayer.
Prayer is important because it acknowledges our need for assistance, it deepens our personal relationship with God, and it brings comfort and guidance to our daily lives. Through prayer, we align our will with God, find peace in difficulties, and intercede for others.
Over the course of history, our nation has called upon God in times of despair and destruction, rejoiced in moments of success and accomplishment, and sought to maintain the ideals of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. At times, we have failed miserably as a nation; other times have exemplified God’s grace, mercy, and forgiveness.
For the next few days, we invite you to reflect on the birth of America, but more importantly, on the true freedom found through Christ. May this guide serve as a recognition of the service of men and women who have helped forge America, and may it point us to the ultimate sacrificial Servant who gave everything for us to be reconciled to God.
“Scripture quotations are from The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.”
Prayer is important because it acknowledges our need for assistance, it deepens our personal relationship with God, and it brings comfort and guidance to our daily lives. Through prayer, we align our will with God, find peace in difficulties, and intercede for others.
Over the course of history, our nation has called upon God in times of despair and destruction, rejoiced in moments of success and accomplishment, and sought to maintain the ideals of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. At times, we have failed miserably as a nation; other times have exemplified God’s grace, mercy, and forgiveness.
For the next few days, we invite you to reflect on the birth of America, but more importantly, on the true freedom found through Christ. May this guide serve as a recognition of the service of men and women who have helped forge America, and may it point us to the ultimate sacrificial Servant who gave everything for us to be reconciled to God.
“Scripture quotations are from The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.”
Day 1: From Shore to Shore (Psalm 22:27-28)
Wednesday, July 24 - (Psalm 22:27-28)
All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the Lord, and all the families of the nations shall worship before you. For kingship belongs to the Lord, and he rules over the nations. - Psalm 22:27-28 ESV
On December 20, 1606, settlers from the Virginia Company in England embarked on a journey across the sea. They landed at Cape Henry on April 29, 1607, and soon proceeded inland to establish Jamestown, the first successful and permanent English colony in North America.
Upon landing at Cape Henry, the settlers erected a seven-foot cross and held the first prayer service in Virginia. The Reverend Robert Hunt offered thanks for God's mercy and grace in bringing them safely to this new land. He dedicated the new continent to God's purpose.
Cape Henry Prayer attributed to Reverend Robert Hunt
We do hereby dedicate this Land, and ourselves, to reach the People within these shores with the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and to raise up Godly generations after us, and with these generations take the Kingdom of God to all the earth. May this Covenant of Dedication remain to all generations, as long as this earth remains and may this land, along with England, be evangelists to the world. May all who see this cross remember what we have done here and may those who come here to inhabit join us in this Covenant and this most noble work, that the Holy Scriptures may be fulfilled. From these very shores the gospel shall go forth, not only to this new world, but the entire world.
Pray today for the gospel to shine from shore to shore. Ask God to raise up men and women who acknowledge Christ as the Sovereign Lord and are unashamed to share his message of salvation with others. May God grant us the boldness and obedience to follow him on our daily journey as we spread the gospel. May people from every nation worship the One True God.
All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the Lord, and all the families of the nations shall worship before you. For kingship belongs to the Lord, and he rules over the nations. - Psalm 22:27-28 ESV
On December 20, 1606, settlers from the Virginia Company in England embarked on a journey across the sea. They landed at Cape Henry on April 29, 1607, and soon proceeded inland to establish Jamestown, the first successful and permanent English colony in North America.
Upon landing at Cape Henry, the settlers erected a seven-foot cross and held the first prayer service in Virginia. The Reverend Robert Hunt offered thanks for God's mercy and grace in bringing them safely to this new land. He dedicated the new continent to God's purpose.
Cape Henry Prayer attributed to Reverend Robert Hunt
We do hereby dedicate this Land, and ourselves, to reach the People within these shores with the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and to raise up Godly generations after us, and with these generations take the Kingdom of God to all the earth. May this Covenant of Dedication remain to all generations, as long as this earth remains and may this land, along with England, be evangelists to the world. May all who see this cross remember what we have done here and may those who come here to inhabit join us in this Covenant and this most noble work, that the Holy Scriptures may be fulfilled. From these very shores the gospel shall go forth, not only to this new world, but the entire world.
Pray today for the gospel to shine from shore to shore. Ask God to raise up men and women who acknowledge Christ as the Sovereign Lord and are unashamed to share his message of salvation with others. May God grant us the boldness and obedience to follow him on our daily journey as we spread the gospel. May people from every nation worship the One True God.
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Psalm 22:27-28
27 All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the Lord, and all the families of the nations shall worship before you. 28 For kingship belongs to the Lord, and he rules over the nations.
Day 2: Author of Liberty (Leviticus 25)
Thursday, July 25 - Leviticus 25
The LORD spoke to Moses on Mount Sinai, saying, “Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, when you come into the land that I give you, the land shall keep a Sabbath to the LORD.”
“You shall count seven weeks of years, seven times seven years, so that the time of the seven weeks of years shall give you forty-nine years. Then you shall sound the loud trumpet on the tenth day of the seventh month. On the Day of Atonement you shall sound the trumpet throughout all your land. And you shall consecrate the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout the land to all its inhabitants. It shall be a jubilee for you, when each of you shall return to his property and each of you shall return to his clan.” - Leviticus 25:1–2; 25:8–10a
The Pennsylvania State House Bell was ordered in 1751 as a fiftieth anniversary commemoration of Pennsylvania’s original constitution. The bell arrived from England in 1752 and immediately cracked during its very first test. Local craftsmen had to melt it down and remake it twice; the first attempt sounded terrible, and it wasn't until the second re-casting that it finally produced a clear, resonant E-flat note. Eventually, the bell cracked again and had to be retired from use.
The State Bell was inscribed with Leviticus 25:10 which calls for liberty to be proclaimed throughout the land to all its inhabitants. Originally given to the children of Israel who escaped Egypt to dwell in Canaan, Leviticus 25 established a Sabbath Year every 7 years and the Year of Jubilee every 50 years. During the Year of Jubilee, debts were forgiven, leased land was returned to the original owners, fields were rested from planting and harvesting, and indentured servants were freed.
In the 1800s, abolitionists who were fighting to end slavery saw the bell not just as a piece of metal, but as a symbol of the freedom they were trying to achieve for everyone. During this time, the bell came to be known as “The Liberty Bell.”
Today, the bell reminds us that America was founded on great ideals that were not always lived out perfectly at the start. Much like the bell was re-cast to fix its sound, the United States has had to "re-cast" its laws and society to correct old wrongs and fix unfair systems. The Liberty Bell reminds us to continue working toward a more perfect union. It reminds us of our own flaws and of the reality that Jesus Christ is the only One who can repair and restore our lives.
God himself serves as the true Author of Liberty through the sacrificial offering of his Son, Jesus Christ, as the payment for our sin. Through faith in Christ, we are granted true freedom from the enslavement of sin and separation from God.
Rejoice today in the price Christ paid for our sin. Let us seek forgiveness and run the race set before us “looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews 12:2)
The LORD spoke to Moses on Mount Sinai, saying, “Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, when you come into the land that I give you, the land shall keep a Sabbath to the LORD.”
“You shall count seven weeks of years, seven times seven years, so that the time of the seven weeks of years shall give you forty-nine years. Then you shall sound the loud trumpet on the tenth day of the seventh month. On the Day of Atonement you shall sound the trumpet throughout all your land. And you shall consecrate the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout the land to all its inhabitants. It shall be a jubilee for you, when each of you shall return to his property and each of you shall return to his clan.” - Leviticus 25:1–2; 25:8–10a
The Pennsylvania State House Bell was ordered in 1751 as a fiftieth anniversary commemoration of Pennsylvania’s original constitution. The bell arrived from England in 1752 and immediately cracked during its very first test. Local craftsmen had to melt it down and remake it twice; the first attempt sounded terrible, and it wasn't until the second re-casting that it finally produced a clear, resonant E-flat note. Eventually, the bell cracked again and had to be retired from use.
The State Bell was inscribed with Leviticus 25:10 which calls for liberty to be proclaimed throughout the land to all its inhabitants. Originally given to the children of Israel who escaped Egypt to dwell in Canaan, Leviticus 25 established a Sabbath Year every 7 years and the Year of Jubilee every 50 years. During the Year of Jubilee, debts were forgiven, leased land was returned to the original owners, fields were rested from planting and harvesting, and indentured servants were freed.
In the 1800s, abolitionists who were fighting to end slavery saw the bell not just as a piece of metal, but as a symbol of the freedom they were trying to achieve for everyone. During this time, the bell came to be known as “The Liberty Bell.”
Today, the bell reminds us that America was founded on great ideals that were not always lived out perfectly at the start. Much like the bell was re-cast to fix its sound, the United States has had to "re-cast" its laws and society to correct old wrongs and fix unfair systems. The Liberty Bell reminds us to continue working toward a more perfect union. It reminds us of our own flaws and of the reality that Jesus Christ is the only One who can repair and restore our lives.
God himself serves as the true Author of Liberty through the sacrificial offering of his Son, Jesus Christ, as the payment for our sin. Through faith in Christ, we are granted true freedom from the enslavement of sin and separation from God.
Rejoice today in the price Christ paid for our sin. Let us seek forgiveness and run the race set before us “looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews 12:2)