This week is the National Day of Prayer. And I am so honored to be serving as this year’s Honorary Chairperson of the National Day of Prayer. This official event is a vital part of our nation’s heritage. Since the first call to prayer in 1775, when the Continental Congress asked the colonies to pray for God's wisdom in forming a nation, the call to prayer has continued through our nation’s history. Although many people try to discredit the Christian heritage of our country, they are the ones who fail to recognize President Lincoln’s proclamation of a day of “humiliation, fasting, and prayer” in 1863. And then, in 1952, a joint resolution by Congress, signed by President Truman, declared an annual, national day of prayer. The National Day of Prayer reached the president’s desk again in 1988 when the law was amended and signed by President Reagan, permanently setting the date as the first Thursday of every May. Each year, the president signs a proclamation, encouraging all Americans to pray on this day. Last year, all 50 state governors plus the governors of several U.S. territories signed similar proclamations – isn’t that great?! Our nation has a real history of prayer.
How many countries actually have a law on their books, designating a day to be set apart for intercession for that nation… prayer for the president and his administration; for the government and for members of the Armed Forces?! Unless you know something I don’t know, I believe the United States of America is the only country that has codified a National Day of Prayer… praise the Lord! Oh, that’s incredible!
So later this week on May 5th, I'll be in Washington, D.C. with my husband, Ken, for various prayer events, first at the House of Representatives, then at the Pentagon. And everywhere we go, we’re going to be encouraging government leaders and workers to join us. Our time at the Cannon Office Building on Capitol Hill will begin early in the day – our prayer meeting will start with Dr. and Mrs. Dobson saying a few words – as you all know, Shirley heads up the National Day of Prayer efforts; then I'll lead in a prayer for the nation. There will be other speakers and government officials praying for the various branches of government -- it’ll all be set up in a congressional hearing room there in the Cannon Office Building and will be open all day long to senators, congressmen, their staff workers, and anyone else who desires to come and pray.
I encourage you right now to make plans for this Thursday – find a National Day of Prayer event in your area and ask your friends to attend. If you’re not aware of any official meeting in your community, then visit nationaldayofprayer.org and click on “Find a Prayer Event” – the National Day of Prayer Task Force has a list of locations all across the country and I'm sure there’s one near you. And don’t forget, it’s not too late to organize a prayer event in your own church or in your place of work or your school. Students can even meet at lunch time in the campus courtyard – just make sure this Thursday, May 5th, you are lifting our country up before God's throne.
Oh, and one more thing, we’d like to make the National Day of Prayer, a national year of prayer. So please visit my radio page later on at joniandfriends.org and ask for “Pray for Our Nation” – an excellent little booklet that includes scriptures on how you can pray for leaders in government and all aspects of national life. Again, just ask for your free copy of “Pray for Our Nation” at joniandfriends.org. On behalf of everybody at the National Day of Prayer taskforce, I'm Joni Eareckson Tada and thank you for remembering our nation in prayer this Thursday, May 5th!
And once again let me remind you of our website, it's joniandfriends.org.
Used by permission of
JONI AND FRIENDS
P.O. Box 3333
Agoura Hills, CA 91376
© Joni and Friends