Thousands of Christians unite in prayer for America at Together 2016

In the midst of the recent issues on racism, abortion, transgender rights and politics, evangelicals gathered in the thousands at the National Mall on Saturday, July 16 for a time of prayer and worship.

Together 2016 was attended by congregations from more than 1,000 churches all over the country. The people prayed for a "reset" of their personal lives, the churches and the U.S.

"We really we just kind of had the feeling that Jesus is often a reset to individuals, to our nation, to each of us," said event organizer Nick Hall, the founder of the student-led prayer and evangelism movement called PULSE, according to USA Today.

At one point, Lou Engle led the crowd to pray against racism, and the people responded by getting down on their knees and imploring God to break racism in the country.

The event also included performances from Christian artists. Lecrae, one of the artists who guested at the event, urged the people to stop being "religious" and to start becoming agents of healing for the nation.

"I see people as far as my eye can see. I see people who should be referred to as brothers and sisters," he said, according to a Facebook post. "Let's not be a religious community that walks by people who are struggling and hurting. If we're not a healing salve, we contribute to the pain."

Together 2016 was scheduled to run from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., but it had to end early because of the heat, as advised by the Park Police.

Hall explained many people had been brought to Emergency Services because of the extreme heat, but added that while ending the event early was a "disappointment," the organizers wanted to "honor the authorities who are trying to keep people safe."

"It was never about coming to the Mall. It was always about being sent from the Mall," The Washington Post quoted him as saying. "This is about sending a generation out from the Mall who are saying, 'God, we wanna go — we wanna give everything for Jesus.'"