The 1607 Prayer and Prophecy for America

Some time ago, I drove to Cape Henry in Virginia to visit a cross on a military base at Cape Henry, the First Landing site in Virginia, USA. My wife, Sandy, and I prayed that God would fulfill the Covenant made by the first settlers who established Jamestown nearby. Here's the story:

On December 20, 1605, 105 settlers and 40 seamen set out from the River Thames estuary near London, England. (As a commercial fisherman in my younger days, I used to fish in that area of the Thames.) The settlers embarked on a mission to the New World of America, having received a charter from King James, a monarch deeply committed to the Christian faith. A significant aspect of the stated mission of the Virginia Company was its concern for spiritual matters, which led to the publication of a tract titled "A True Declaration of the State of Virginia." This declaration said the following:

“First, to preach and baptize into the Christian religion and by the propagation of the Gospel, to recover out of the arms of the devil a number of poor and miserable souls wrapped up into death in almost invincible ignorance; to endeavor the fulfilling and accomplishments of the number of the elect which shall be gathered from out of all corners of the earth; and to add to our myte the treasury of heaven.”

Though the ships they sailed upon were small, the leadership of the Virginia Company insisted that they carry one item from England to give God glory in the endeavor: a rough-hewn wooden cross. An Anglican minister, Robert Hunt, was with them on the voyage. When they arrived, Hunt led the party to the windswept shore, where they erected the seven-foot oak cross in the sand. (It has since been replaced with a stone cross memorializing what occurred at Cape Henry, Virginia. If you also decide to visit, you will need permission from the military base two days in advance.)

The colonists and sailors gathered around the Cross for the first formal prayer service in Virginia, offering thanks for God's mercy and grace in bringing them safely to this new land. As they knelt in the sand, Hunt reminded them of the warning from the British Royal Council, taken from the Holy Scripture: “Every plantation, which my Heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up” (Matthew 15:13). Raising his hands to heaven, Rev. Robert Hunt claimed the land for country and king and consecrated the continent to the glory of God.

In a sacred moment, Rev. Robert Hunt stood as a representative of the King, the Church, and the people of England, dedicating the new continent to God's purpose. This act marked the first official action by the English in the New World. In covenantal language, Hunt declared, “…from these very shores, the Gospel shall go forth to not only this New World but the entire world.”

Jamestown became the first successful and permanent English colony. Robert Hunt conducted the first Protestant church services there under an old sail until the first church building was constructed. In Jamestown, colonists gathered for prayer three times a day, with the church located at the center of the town. It was also the site of the first representative government in North America, the Virginia General Assembly, which is now the world's third-oldest continuous legislature. As Rev. Robert Hunt prayed on that fateful day in April 1607, their “plantation” was not “rooted up.” From these humble beginnings, and later through other English colonies established throughout North America, freedom flourished, leading to unprecedented prosperity and peace. By God’s providence, Rev. Hunt’s prayer continues to bear fruit. Below is what he prayed/prophesied:

“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 an Evangelist 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 in this most noble work that the Holy Scriptures may be fulfilled.”

After the prayer, they read the following Bible passage: “All the ends of the world shall remember and turn to the Lord, and all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before thee. For the kingdom is the Lord's and he ruleth among the nations” (Psalm 22:27-28). Please pray for God’s will to be accomplished in the United States of America. I believe the Lord will continue to send forth His Word from this country. Keith Thomas

If you'd like to share these thoughts on social media, scroll down to the Facebook and Twitter links at the bottom of the page and the link to send via email. Shortened from the following webpage of CBN:

https://www1.cbn.com/cape-henry-spiritual-roots-of-a-nation