NATIONAL DAY OF PRAYER

The National Day of Prayer is an annual day of observance held on the first Thursday of May, designated by the United States Congress, when people are asked “to turn to God in prayer and meditation”. The president is required by law (36 U.S.C. § 119) to sign a proclamation each year, encouraging all Americans to pray on this day. 

The modern law formalizing its annual observance was enacted in 1952, although earlier days of fasting and prayer had been established by the Second Continental Congress from 1775 until 1783, and by President John Adams in 1798 and 1799. Thomas Jefferson established a day of prayer and thanksgiving, but this occurred while he served as governor of Virginia. President Harry S. Truman signed a bill proclaiming a National Day of Prayer must be declared by each subsequent president at an appropriate date of his choice.

 In his role as Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army, General George Washington acknowledged a day of “fasting, humiliation and prayer” proclaimed by the Continental Congress to be held on Thursday, May 6, 1779. To enable his soldiers to observe the day, Washington ordered a one-day cessation of recreation and “unnecessary labor”. In March 1780, Congress announced a day of “fasting, humiliation and prayer” to be held on Wednesday, April 26, 1780.

In his 1983 declaration, Ronald Reagan said, “From General Washington’s struggle at Valley Forge to the present, this Nation has fervently sought and received divine guidance as it pursued the course of history. This occasion provides our Nation with an opportunity to further recognize the source of our blessings, and to seek His help for the challenges we face today and in the future.”

In 1988, the law was amended so that the National Day of Prayer would be held on the first Thursday of May. Two stated intentions of the National Day of Prayer were that it would be a day when adherents of all great religions could unite in prayer and that it may one day bring renewed respect for God to all the peoples of the world.

We will be seeking God’s guidance for our nation as this year we elect representatives and a president. We will give thanks for our blessings as a nation and seek God’s help for the challenges we face. In this way we will fulfill the command of the apostle Paul who wrote: “The first thing I want you to do is pray. Pray every way you know how, for everyone you know. Pray especially for rulers and their governments to rule well so we can be quietly about our business of living peacefully in God’s will and way. This is the way our Savior God want us to live (1 Timothy 2:1-3).

We should never think that we have no influence on our government and culture. Prayer is effective. The National Day of Prayer is an acknowledgement of the part we can play in the health and direction of our nation. In these difficult times when we question the decisions of our governing authorities regarding medical treatment and the economy, when we are tempted to find someone to blame for the pandemic, and fear of infection is rampant, we need prayer more than ever to sustain us. We will be praying that people will be allowed to resume work, open businesses, worship together, and that we will not have to distance ourselves from one another indefinitely. We will pray for the discovery of a vaccine and for more humility as we become aware that we are not able to control all outcomes of life. It is the Most High God who rules over all the world and not sinful men and women, nor matter their power and expertise. As Daniel prayed, so should we:

Praise be to the name of God for ever and ever; wisdom and power are his.

He changes times and seasons; he sets up kings and deposes them.

He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning.

He reveals deep and hidden things; he knows what lies in darkness, and light dwells with him.

(Daniel 2:20-22)

Let us become a people of prayer and find the wisdom and healing which our nation, and the world needs.