THE NATIONAL DAY OF PRAYER
This
coming Thursday is our National Day of Prayer; a tradition that predates the
founding of the United States of America . In 1775, the
Continental Congress made a proclamation setting aside a day of prayer. Later, in 1952, Congress established an
annual day of prayer. Then in 1988 the law was amended, designating the
National Day of Prayer as the first Thursday in May.
The
theme for this year’s National Day of Prayer is “Pray
for America ”. It is taken from Matthew
12:21.
“In His name
the nations will put their hope.”
The
popular trend to marginalize people of faith is frustrating. In the name of
tolerance, many American traditions are being relegated to the trash heap. We
are reluctant to mention anything to do with Christmas or Easter in schools, and
prayer is often frowned upon or “sanitized” at community functions. Lawsuits
are threatened if pictures of Jesus or Scripture are maintained on public
grounds. Yet, our founders recognized that freedom came from God Almighty. And
as John Adams said, “our Constitution is made for a moral and religious people.”
Our
Declaration of Independence appeals “to the Supreme Judge of the world” The
language in the document states,
"We hold these truths to be self-evident,
that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with
certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit
of happiness.”
The
individuals who signed that Declaration of Independence on July
4, 1776 ,
as well as many others, believed strongly enough in pursuing liberty to mutually
pledge to each other their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor."
During
the Constitutional Convention of June 1787 where delegates had clashed for five
weeks, Benjamin Franklin appealed for prayer.
“I have lived, Sir, a long time, and the longer
I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth- that God governs in the
affairs of men. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without His notice,
is it probable that an empire can rise without His aid? We have been assured, Sir, in the sacred
writings, that "except the Lord build the House they labor in vain that
build it." I firmly believe this; and I also believe that without His
concurring aid we shall succeed in this political building no better than the
Builders of Babel.”
The
United States of America was founded on Judeo
Christian principles. Just as at that initial pivotal period in our nation’s
history, we currently face national challenges of every kind. It is again time to appeal to all people to
repent personally, as well as for our national sins, and seek Almighty God’s
forgiveness, direction, and healing.
“I exhort you therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men;
For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.”
— 1 Timothy
2:1-2
“If my people who are called by my name humble
themselves, and pray and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I
will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”
― 2
Chronicles 7:14
“The Lord is compassionate and gracious,
slow
to anger, abounding in love.
He will not always accuse,
nor
will he harbor his anger forever;
he does not treat us as our sins deserve
or
repay us according to our iniquities.
For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
so
great is his love for those who fear him;
as far as the east is from the west,
so far
has he removed our transgressions from us.”
― Psalm 103: 8-12
Please
pray for:
~
our nation
~
all who serve in leadership in the Executive, Legislative and Judicial branches
of government
~
our state Governors and Legislatures
~
all who serve in our armed forces, police, firefighters, medical services,
educators
~
for church leaders
Our nation truly needs prayer more and more every new year/day. Thank you for this reminder of a very important day. God bless you and may God bless America!
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by. We need to remind ourselves each day that God is sovereign and all our blessings come from Him.
DeleteThank you for reminding us all of the National Day of Prayer and prayer's important history in our nation. When I read about the past I often come across days of prayer and fasting proclaimed by the government leaders as well as clergy. It is remarkable to me that so often prayer events today are prompted by individuals, who still see the importance of calling out to God in praise and petition. In these times, may we never take for granted our freedom to pray.
ReplyDeleteI'm afraid, Carla, political correctness keeps our leaders from having the courage and the humility to remind a nation that the origin of our many blessings is from God, and that we are all responsible to repent and return to faithfully honoring His precepts.
DeleteThanks, JANET, for this post. I was explaining to clark this morning about the importance of this day. Blessings!
ReplyDeleteFortunately, many churches hold a service. Once upon a time our nations public schools also recognized the need to pray and honor God.
DeleteOh wow, I won a tea cup set, how exciting!!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much. I really enjoyed your tea party.
Blessings, Tina
URW, TINA, will you be joining in on the Day of Prayer? Blessings!
DeleteWe all need to humble ourselves and ask forgiveness for our sins and for our nation. I hate to see so much immorality in America. And,, hate this political correctness. Thats the beginning of our going downhill as a nation. And, it in itself is not fair. So many are not even called down on their intolerance, only the ones who seek to honor GOD. How does one stop this political correctness from happening? or GOD. Our city still celebrates the Day of Prayer down at the Corthouse. Always a large crowd. Even then should be more. Maxie
ReplyDeleteI'm so disappointed with our government's policies and corruption that I can no longer watch the news. I think a lot of Christian Americans feel helpless and that things are just sliding downhill too fast (and facing the end times?) and I know I need the reminder to focus prayer for our nation in a more expectant way.
ReplyDeleteWe aren't helpless, are we?
Prayer is our first line of defense, not our last resort.
ReplyDeleteThank you for writing this so beautifully, Janet. Your research and quotes are wonderful reminders that our founding fathers were NOT neutral deists, but recognized the hand of God in the affairs of man. And I love the scriptures you quoted.
Judith, Debra and Anonymous,
ReplyDeleteSometimes we feel so helpless to change the direction our nation is going. But we are not without help. Prayer is powerful!
Thank you, Janet. I appreciate your post. Sometimes, I get so discouraged at the path our nation is following. We certainly need to pray and seek God's help and wisdom.
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by, Kay. It is discouraging. It breaks my heart when I think of all those who sacrificed, and often paid with their lives, to protect our freedoms that own government want to deny us.
ReplyDelete