Last Saturday, on the Jewish Day of Atonement, tens of thousands of Christians descended on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., to repent on behalf of our nation, pray, and call evil evil and good good. There was no tip-toeing around controversial topics and no hint of “political correctness.”

Though the event was officially called “A Million Women: An Esther Call to the Mall” — a loose reference to the 1997 Promise Keepers “Million Man March” held for the same purposes — it was attended by women, men, and children alike, all seeking a national turnaround and spiritual renewal. From 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., with no meal breaks in the schedule, the sea of mostly women worshipped, prayed, and fasted together, saying “no” to evil for the sake of America’s children. From the stage, speakers shared testimonies of repentance and deliverance from homosexuality, abortion, pornography, and healing from sexual abuse. They led attendees to let go of bitterness from past hurts, to extend blessing and forgiveness to those who had hurt them, and to repent of their own sins.

One Arizona mother shared from the stage that the state’s child welfare department had taken custody of her daughter because she and her husband refused to go along with the idea that their daughter is a transgender boy. She said recently, after a long period with no contact, her daughter had reached out to wish her a happy birthday — and later told her she no longer identifies as trans.

Women and men fell on their faces across the Mall and cried out for children ensnared in such deception to find salvation and freedom in God. According to Gallup, “more than one in five Gen Z adults, ranging in age from 18 to 26 in 2023, identify as LGBTQ+.”

Event leaders included Lou Engle, founder of TheCall, who has led extended fasts and prayer rallies in arenas nationwide for 24 years; Jonathan Cahn, a Messianic rabbi known for books including The Harbinger and The Return of the Gods; and Jenny Donnelly, founder of Her Voice MVMT and a promoter of the #DontMessWithOurKids movement. #Don’tMessWithOurKids originally began in Peru (#ConMisHijosNoTeMetas), where it helped repeal nine pro-transgender laws and oust both the prime minister and education minister from office.

Smashing the Altar of Sexual Immorality

Just before sunset, Cahn led an effort to smash an altar with the word “Ishtar” inscribed on it in Hebrew. Ishtar is the ancient Mesopotamian deity Cahn identifies in The Return of the Gods as a goddess of sexual immorality, transgenderism, and related sins plaguing our society today. Cahn said smashing the altar was an act of “mass exorcism.” He encouraged the multitude to cry out as the altar was torn down and to pray for the nation, the U.S. Capitol, and the 2024 election.

“This is the altar of abortion,” he declared. It also was the altar of “sexual immorality; pornography; transitioning and mutilating children; confusion of sexuality and the bondage that has come on this land; the goddess of the rainbow; the goddess of June and pride; that has led to divorce and destruction of families, marriages, children, men; that would emasculate men and defeminize women; on which children have been offered.” 

Women of all ages were joined by men and children at the event. (Photo by Aliya Henley)

Cahn prayed that God would cast out the spirit of Ishtar and set free everyone held captive to the sins and abuses associated with it. 

Leaders on the stage took turns smashing the altar with sledgehammers as the attendees stretched out their hands toward it, shouted, blew shofars, prayed, and sang, “He shall reign forever and ever.”

Cahn had performed a similar act  on the National Mall four years ago at his 2020 event, “The Return,” which The Stream reported on at the time. This time, he explained that God had led him to smash a clay pot as the prophet Jeremiah did, signaling imminent destruction to the nation if the people did not return to God. On that very day in 2020, President Donald Trump declared that he would nominate Amy Coney Barrett to the U.S. Supreme Court, which set in motion the overturning of Roe v. Wade.

A Dream of Female Activation and Praying for Israel

Dehavilland Ford, one of the event speakers and a copastor of Mercy Culture Church in east Ft. Worth, Texas, told The Stream that she took part because of a dream she had in 2016. In it, she saw an ocean of women at the National Mall, with Lou Engle telling them it was time for female voices to arise. Then, in a room underneath the Lincoln Memorial, she saw women wearing Islamic burqas, which she connects with Iran and the ongoing war in Israel. They were crying out for the women of the Church in the West to wake up and pray for an outpouring of the Holy Spirit.

Ford says the dream set her on a journey to see God putting women on the National Mall as priests to pray for Israel and America to turn back to God.

In that vein, Heather Johnston, founder and CEO of U.S. Israel Education Association, led a prayer. “Forgive us, Lord, for pressuring Israel to end the war and leveraging the world body to add pressure to leave Hamas and Hezbollah terrorist organizations in power on her borders.”

The website for A Million Women features an invitation to join U.S. Israel Education Association in weekly prayer calls, where governmental leaders also share insights.

Johnston noted that she had just received a text from U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson, who said, “I genuinely wish that I could be there with you all today because I believe it has never been more important for us to stand together and pray together for the peace and security of Israel.”

#DontMessWithOurKids Declaration

Donnelly’s group, Her Voice MVMT, released a #DontMessWithOurKids declaration upholding the sanctity of life, the sanctity of biological gender, the institution of the family as the foundation of a healthy nation, the right to religious freedom, and the significance of personal involvement to defend these principles. The declaration is available to sign online. It reads in part, “God established the family unit between a man and a woman. He gave them the responsibility and authority to protect and sustain the family. We stand against any evil that seeks to steal parental rights and destroy the family.”

Pamela Dixon, 77, shows off the #DontMessWithOurKids flag which she painted onto the back of her pink jacket at home in Oregon. (Photo by Aliya Henley)

Donnelly also highlighted Her Voice MVMT’s prayer hub initiative. A prayer hub is a group of two to 10 people who meet at least once a month to pray for the nation. Through the Her Voice MVMT app, participants have access to prayer guides, resources, and can chat with other participants in their state.

Prayer Warriors

Involvement in one such prayer hub brought Pamela Dixon, 77, across the nation from Oregon to the National Mall. She told The Stream, “I feel we made a difference in the spiritual realm by uniting together and making the declarations that are from the Word of God.

“I’ve never been a part of something so big before,” she added. “I think our nation is at a tipping point. We’ve got to do something, and God’s the most powerful, so we’ve got to call on Him.”

Ford expressed high hopes for the impact of the day-long gathering.

“Esther’s assignment was bigger than her,” she told The Stream. “It was about her nation. So we’re praying that women would take courage in leadership and the reformation of culture and society, getting involved in every sphere of influence.”

She said a goal of A Million Women was to empower females to do the work of God. The event itself is a “hinge of history gathering” because “prayer could change the very direction of the nation.”

Aliya Henley is a former staff writer for The Stream. You can follow her on X @AliyaKuykendall and follow The Stream @Streamdotorg.