A republican form of government deriving its powers from the people? Check. A system of checks and balances? Check. A dual track of federalism? Check. Respect for natural law and fundamental rights? Check.

However, one critical component remained for our Founders to establish this country successfully — an element they universally regarded as the most important factor in uniting and prospering as a nation: God’s providence and blessing. To secure that blessing, America’s Founders believed the new nation had a responsibility to publicly acknowledge, proclaim, and give thanks to God for the blessings already bestowed.

The challenges we face today are far too great for any human plan to overcome. We must return to the one course of action that has always sustained this nation.

The Bible inspired the concept, timing, and customs of Thanksgiving. The Jewish holiday of the Feast of Tabernacles, also known as the Feast of Ingathering, was celebrated every fall to thank God for a successful harvest and acknowledge his providence as the source of their blessings. During this time, as the Israelites prepared for the new rainy season that would nourish the land for the next year's harvest, they prayed for rain. This practice emphasized that all existing bounty came from God and that future success depended on remaining worthy of his continued blessings. Today, devout Jews around the world celebrate this holiday, which falls in late September or early October.

On September 25, 1789, the newly established Congress passed a resolution asking President George Washington to declare a “day of public humiliation and prayer.” This day of prayer and thanksgiving, as described by Roger Sherman, aimed to replicate “the solemn thanksgivings and rejoicings which took place in the time of Solomon, after the building of the Temple.” That celebration, mentioned in 1 Kings, occurred during the Feast of Tabernacles following the fall harvest.

George Washington issued the proclamation on October 3, to be observed on November 26 of the same year. This public day of prayer aimed to beseech God “to pardon our national and other transgressions” and “to promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue.”

Notably, as a lasting rebuttal to the ultra-secular zealots of today, the House passed this resolution on the very same day it approved the First Amendment of the Bill of Rights, ensuring no law would be made “respecting an establishment of religion.” While the Founders sought to protect individuals from being coerced into practicing a particular religion, they also recognized the importance of promoting voluntary public thanksgiving to God. Just as a nation relies on its military and economy, they understood the necessity of divine providence.

President William McKinley reflected this sentiment in his 1899 Thanksgiving proclamation. He advised,

This day religious exercises shall be conducted in the churches or meeting places of all denominations, in order that in the social features of the day its real significance may not be lost sight of, but prayers may be offered to the Most High for a continuance of the divine guidance without which man’s efforts are vain, and for divine consolation to those whose kindred and friends have sacrificed their lives for country.

McKinley used Thanksgiving to express gratitude for those who sacrificed for the country while also emphasizing the day’s focus on “religious exercises.” Fast forward 120 years, and unelected judges now wield power to ban public prayer and remove a 92-year-old World War I memorial. Had President Washington proclaimed Thanksgiving as a national holiday in today’s era, federal judges might have declared it “unconstitutional” under the guise of extremism.

It’s clear we need God’s blessings now more than ever.

This year, it’s difficult to mask the reality of cultural depravity and the seemingly irreparable nature of our political system. Our current government stands in direct opposition to the founding virtues Thanksgiving was meant to celebrate. Yet, we must remember that the earthly powers destroying our nation hold no true power on their own. That assurance — that we rest solely in God’s hands — remains a profound reason for gratitude.

Calvin Coolidge captured this sentiment in his 1923 Thanksgiving proclamation: “Even in the least propitious times, a broad contemplation of our whole position has never failed to disclose overwhelming reasons for thankfulness.” Similarly, Abraham Lincoln’s 1863 proclamation — the first to establish Thanksgiving on its current date — found hope and gratitude amid the “civil war of unequaled magnitude and severity.”

Reflecting on recent natural disasters reminds us of our vulnerability and our place in God’s hands. We may believe we have everything under control, but ultimately, we are not in charge. As Proverbs 19:21 states, “Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.”

The challenges we face today are far too great for any human plan to overcome. We must return to the one course of action that has always sustained this nation — recognizing and seeking the blessings of the one who grants them.

“If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land” (2 Chronicles 7:14).

Let us turn to the Lord, lifting our prayers as our forefathers did in the first Thanksgiving proclamation of the Continental Congress on November 1, 1777: “It is the indispensable duty of all men to adore the superintending Providence of Almighty God; to acknowledge with gratitude their obligation to Him for benefits received, and to implore such further blessings as they stand in need of.”

Editor’s note: A version of this article was first published at Conservative Review as “Do we still desire God’s blessings?” on Nov. 22, 2017.