Good News Report From the National Day of Prayer

I’ve been going to the National Day of Prayer for many years now. This year there was a marked difference. Usually the meetings are ecumencial and trying to bring everyone with such diverse backgrounds together without people being uncomfortable with the format. That’s no easy task as we all know.

But this year there was a fire in the prayers, perhaps even a desperation. Though the churches were just as divided as the country during the election I got a sense that people are starting to get that everything is not okay with this country. People are starting to grasp that the nation is now on a new track which in unashamedly no longer a Judeo-Christian track.

Reserved little old ladies with their hair up in buns were praying with the zeal and fervency of a 16 year old. This was not your standard “God bless America” prayer meeting. Not that there is anything wrong with those meetings. They are good. Keep them up! But this was more “God we need You! We are lost without You! Would You please turn this nation back to You?” It was passionate. It was exciting. It was real. The crowd was much larger than in past years. Probably because of the sense of desperation. One thing the president doesn’t get about Christians and conservatives is that persecution does not scare us off and cause us to shrink back. It emboldens us. It makes our convictions stronger. It makes us more determined and more resolute to never, Never, NEVER give up. They cannot have our nation! And the prayers and crowds today reflected that.

There was another thing that was surprising to me. I went to City Hall after the National Day of Prayer to do some actual business. (Living in a large municipality there were many venues observing today.) When I got there, they were still tearing down from the main event. Here I stood in the glorious and gorgeous main hall of county government and there were flyers about prayer. In addition each of the several offices I went into had flyers also. And there was not just the main prayer event from 11:30 – 1:00. Starting at 8:00 in the morning there was a box set up and a person manning it. You could take individual personal prayer requests and get prayer on the spot and know that people were going to be praying for you again later. I would go so far as to say it was shocking to me in this day of the ACLU that such open and obvious Christianity was permitted in the seat of government.

It was a good day. It was a very good day! Pray Team! Pray

National Day of Prayer May 7

Welcome to the 58th Annual National Day of Prayer. On Thursday, May 7, 2009 millions or prayer warriors across America will unite in prayer at thousands of events in cities and buroughs, villages and towns from Bar Harbor to San Diego, from Seattle to Key West.

The 2009 theme is “Prayer… America’s Hope” and is based on Psalm 33:22 “May your unfailing love rest upon us, O Lord, even as we put our hope in you.”

Beth Moore will join Shirley Dobson to lead the nation in prayer as the 2009 Honorary Chairman of the National Day of Prayer Task Force.

President’s usually join in the event. President Obama has not yet done so. Here is the Presidential Proclamation issued by President Bush last year.

For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
April 22, 2008

A Proclamation by the President of the United States of America

America trusts in the abiding power of prayer and asks for the wisdom to discern God’s will in times of joy and of trial. As we observe this National Day of Prayer, we recognize our dependence on the Almighty, we thank Him for the many blessings He has bestowed upon us, and we put our country’s future in His hands.

From our Nation’s humble beginnings, prayer has guided our leaders and played a vital role in the life and history of the United States. Americans of many different faiths share the profound conviction that God listens to the voice of His children and pours His grace upon those who seek Him in prayer. By surrendering our lives to our loving Father, we learn to serve His eternal purposes, and we are strengthened, refreshed, and ready for all that may come.

On this National Day of Prayer, we ask God’s continued blessings on our country. This year’s theme, “Prayer! America’s Strength and Shield,” is taken from Psalm 28:7, “The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped.” On this day, we pray for the safety of our brave men and women in uniform, for their families, and for the comfort and recovery of those who have been wounded.

The Congress, by Public Law 100-307, as amended, has called on our Nation to reaffirm the role of prayer in our society by recognizing each year a “National Day of Prayer.”

NOW, THEREFORE, I, GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim May 1, 2008, as a National Day of Prayer. I ask the citizens of our Nation to give thanks, each according to his or her own faith, for the freedoms and blessings we have received and for God’s continued guidance, comfort, and protection. I invite all Americans to join in observing this day with appropriate programs, ceremonies, and activities.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-first day of April, in the year of our Lord two thousand eight, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-second.

GEORGE W. BUSH

National Day of Prayer, 2008

I wrote President Obama to see if he will be participating. I have not yet gotten a response.

But let’s not wait for leadership to fall into line with God’s plan. Let’s get out there and join in prayer for this nation, for it is the only thing that will save us.