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1. America's Early Years - 1492-1620
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By Fern L. Nilson
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History tells us that PRAYER has been a part of our nation since its beginning. It is America's priceless heritage.
In 1492, CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS not only discovered America, but was convinced that God had given him a special mission to carry the Light of Christ to this new land. His name, Christopher, which literally meant Christ-bearer, was to him a clear indication that God had called him to do this. It would be hard to say when his sense of mission became clear, it may have been while he was still a teenage boy in Genoa, Italy, carding wool in the family wool shop, as his father and grandfather had done before him. Or, it could have come later, in Lisbon, Portugal, the sea-faring capital of the world, where the year 1484 found him and his brother employed in the profession of mapmaking. Later, it was Ferdinand and Isabella, king and queen of Spain, who provided the support to send forth Columbus' expedition that would bring the gospel to an undiscovered land.1
It was a little more than one hundred years later that JAMESTOWN became the site of the first permanent English settlement in America. In 1607, three ships bearing 105 colonists sailed to the New World. Before they left England, they drew up the First Charter of Virginia which stated that they came..."for the Furtherance of.the Christian Religion to People who as yet live in ignorance of the true Knowledge and Worship of God." The first act performed by the settlers was to erect a large wooden Cross, and they fell upon their knees before it and thanked God.2
The first three years in Jamestown were difficult because of adjustments to an unfamiliar wilderness. Disease, poor water, shortages of food, dissension, and Indian hostility made life difficult for the colonists despite being ably led by men like Captain John Smith.
Thirteen years later, in 1620, the PILGRIMS risked their lives to come to America to be free to worship God and pray. "One hundred and two Pilgrims huddled together between the decks of the Mayflower. The severity of the incessant storms prevented them from seeing the light of day as the small ship wallowed across the Atlantic. After seven weeks of enduring storms and deprivation, their mutual commitment to the cause of faith and freedom was severely tested before they set foot on American soil at Cape Cod. Vicious storms had driven them nearly 100 miles off course. Before landing on November 11th of that year, they drafted a compact that would become the cornerstone of American freedom and democracy, THE MAYFLOWER COMPACT. Only two paragraphs in length, it reads in part:
'In the name of God, amen. We whose names are under-written.
Having undertaken, for the glory of God and advancement of the Christian
Faith and honor of our King and country, a voyage to plant the first colony
.do by these presents solemnly and mutually in the presence of God and
of one another, covenant and combine ourselves together into a civil body politic;
for the better ordering and preservation and furtherance of the ends aforesaid...'"3
History records that having arrived in a good harbor, WILLIAM BRADFORD led the Pilgrims in prayer as they fell upon their knees and blessed the God of heaven, who had brought them over the vast and furious ocean, and who had delivered them from all the dangerous perils. They had initially begun their long journey by kneeling on the dock at Delfthaven (Holland) to ask God's blessing; they ended it on the sands of Cape Cod, kneeling to thank Him for that blessing.4
That winter Indians, like Squanto and Massasoit, came to meet the Pilgrims. "Massasoit was a remarkable example of God's providential care for his Pilgrims as he welcomed them as a friend. When spring arrived, Squanto showed them how to plant corn, stalk deer, plant pumpkins among the corn, refine maple syrup from the maple trees, discern which herbs were good to eat and good for medicine, and how to find the best berries." 5
The Pilgrims later settled at Plymouth on December 21, 1620, and established the second permanent English colony in America. They named the site, Plymouth, because Plymouth in England was the last town from which they left.
The Pilgrims were filled with gratitude, not only to the Indians who had been friendly, but also to God who had met their needs. So, GOVERNOR BRADFORD, Governor of Plymouth Colony, declared a day of public THANKSGIVING to be held in October of 1621. Ninety Indians came bringing with them deer and turkeys to help with the feasting.
Surely, one moment stood out in the Pilgrims' memory-WILLIAM BREWSTER'S prayer as they began their celebration. There were many reasons to thank God. God had provided for all their needs, even when their faith had not been up to believing that He would do so. They thanked Him for those who had given their lives for the sake of a new country. In addition, the settlers were grateful to God for friendship with the Indians, and for all His remarkable providences in bringing them to this place and sustaining them.6
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