National Day of Prayer
Greetings!
Today is the National Day of Prayer. It takes on special significance once again this year as the forces against prayer and God are ever more present and forceful.
The National Day of Prayer was instituted by President Harry Truman on July 4, 1952. It was intended as a unifying function to bring Americans together for a common purpose. God knows we need it today more than ever!
Ronald Reagan changed the date to the first Thursday in May during his presidency, but it has a history that goes back to our founding fathers. As a Nation, presidents and government officials have called for national days of prayer or thanks intermittently since before the country’s existence.
- July 20, 1775 – The Continental Congress issued a proclamation recommending “a day of public humiliation, fasting, and prayer” be observed.
- In 1795 – George Washington proclaimed a day of public thanksgiving and prayer.
- May 9, 1798 – John Adams declared this day as “a day of solemn humility, fasting, and prayer.”
- March 1863 – On March 3, Abraham Lincoln signed a Congressional resolution, during the Civil War, which called for April 30, 1863, as a day of fasting and prayer.
On this day, May 4, 2023, I hope you will take some time out of your busy day to meditate and pray for the healing, hope, and redemption of our nation. If our nation, and individuals in it, will confess and repent, and accept God as our Creator and Jesus as the Lord of our life, we can look forward to a time of redemption and a return to God in the public space.
God honors our faithfulness, and we are called to be faithful witnesses to God’s grace in our lives.
May your heart find peace this day…and every day,
Pastor Myron