We can feel it, and we’re sure you can, too: The 2024 election just feels different than previous ones.

It’s not just the issues at stake. Yes, one of our two major political parties is hard at work trying to erase the very difference between male and female that makes it possible to be fruitful and multiply, and seeking — through mass, unvetted “immigration” — to establish a one-party state without even the pretense of competition. It’s easy to imagine how November 2024 could be the last meaningful free election in history.

Of course, people have been saying this or that election is the most important one in our nation’s history for as long as we can remember. But surely this can’t be true every time — can it?

In truth, there have been other times when Americans faced genuine peril — especially during the War for Independence, the Civil War, and the two World Wars. When our nation faced these trials, our leaders — first the Continental Congress, and later Congress or the president —have called the nation’s faithful not only to pray, but to fast and pray.

In the last century or so, Christians of different traditions have mostly abandoned fasting as a regular part of our spiritual life, and Americans collectively have done the same. Maybe it’s just a coincidence that we’re now beset by a weak Church, a debased culture, and a toxic politics. Or maybe not.

Maybe, if we want to recover the virtues of the American Founding, we should recover these spiritual practices as well. That’s why we at The Stream are inviting you to join us in a 40-day season of prayer and fasting leading up to November’s elections. We hope you’ll join us and spread the word to your family and friends.

This time, it really is for all the marbles. If the “shining city on a hill” that reflects the light of freedom provided through the Gospel fails, the tyranny that is already overtaking parts of the West will have prevailed. And we simply cannot let that happen.

An American History of Prayer and Fasting

For instance, from 1775 to 1784, during and just after the American War of Independence, the Continental Congress issued 16 calls to the colonists involving some mix of prayer, fasting, “humiliation” (that is, sacrifice), and thanksgiving. Eight of those were calls for national prayer and fasting.

‘The Prayer at Valley Forge’, depicting George Washington praying in the winter during the American Revolutionary War at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania. By Arnold Friberg

Such proclamations continued after the new nation was established. For instance, on November 16, 1814, President James Madison called for prayer and fasting after the British burned Washington, DC. In 1863, President Abraham Lincoln did the same during the horrors of the Civil War.

Most of us have heard about the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the battles of Lexington and Concord, of Washington and his men crossing the cold Delaware River on Christmas Day in 1776. We hear far less about these frequent, official calls for prayer and fasting.

Presidential calls for prayer still happen from time to time in moments of great consequence, such as D-Day and the 9-11 attacks. But so far as we can tell, the last presidential call for prayer and fasting was issued by Woodrow Wilson on May 11, 1918, during World War I.

The Significance of 40

The number 40 appears throughout Scripture and Christian history, always marking a moment of great change or import. Noah’s flood lasted 40 days and 40 nights. Moses fasted for 40 days to prepare himself to receive the Law from God on Mt. Sinai. After fleeing from their captors in Egypt, the Israelites spent 40 years in the desert.

Elijah took a 40-day trek to get to Mt. Horeb. And of course, Jesus fasted and prayed for 40 days in the desert before He started His earthly ministry. And after the resurrection, He appeared to the disciples for 40 days before He ascended into Heaven.

Reflecting this theme, many Christians historically have recognized a season of prayer, fasting, and sacrifice for 40 days before Easter, known as Lent. And those who follow the liturgical calendar may have noticed that the Feast of Jesus’s Presentation in the Temple falls 40 days after Christmas Day.

40 Days: Don’t Panic

We have no explanation for why 40 recurs over and over like this in Scripture and sacred history, or even human biology (it takes a human embryo 40 weeks to grow inside the womb before birth). But God knows. It’s just as much a mystery as is the fact that prayer plus fasting seems to be more powerful than prayer alone. Still, if we’re going to dedicate a fasting season to intercede for our country, surely it should last 40 days.

Don’t panic. A 40-day fasting season doesn’t mean you have to say goodbye to food for 960 hours in a row. Sure, the strict meaning of it is to not consume calories for some amount of time. But most people can’t, and probably shouldn’t, fast that strictly for 40 consecutive days (although God calls some to do so). T

For some, this might mean eating during a narrow window of time in the day — say, four to eight hours (i.e., “intermittent fasting”). Others might decide to fast entirely on certain days of the week (as many as they feel led, whether consecutively not). Still others might do a juice-only fast, or to eliminate sugar and refined carbohydrates. (We recommend this last one, as it also will improve your health.) Others might do a modified fast like one of these, and then add a long fast between Nov. 1 and Nov. 5.

Still others might choose to fast from something else that takes up a significant amount of their time and focus every day, such as social media. Whatever you choose ultimately is between you and the Lord; the point is to commit yourself ahead of time to some regular fast that’s a genuine sacrifice, and then use that time to pray for the nation instead. We’ll have some prayer guides and other materials scattered throughout our contents over the next few weeks, so please check back here often.

Fasting — like praying, reading, or working out — is a habit or skill you pick up by practicing it. Our modern diet and eating patterns make it seem less like a sacrifice and more like torture, but trust us — if you take the plunge, you’ll be glad you did.

The Bible tells us that God’s people are the ones who are responsible for the state of their nation. Ours is currently in bad shape and situated precariously — but those of us who call on His name still have 40 days to get serious, get on our knees and on our faces before Him, and intercede.

“Then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” (2 Chronicles 7:14)

Jay W. Richards, Ph.D., is editor at large with The Stream. Karla Dial is The Stream’s editor in chief.