Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. ~ Hebrews 4:16 NIV
As Christians observe the National Day of Prayer on May 5, many wonder how they can fit ongoing prayer for the nation into their busy schedules. If ever America was in a time of need, that time is now. Prayer for our nation should be the first entry on your daily to do list.
Jim Weidmann, Vice-Chairperson for The National Day of Prayer Task Force, recently wrote on The Presidential Prayer Team website, "As I travel across America, I see the concern in family after family and church after church regarding the direction America is heading. We are a country where evil has become good and good has become evil; yet through the prayers of millions of people we have seen Godly men and women elected to high positions in our government, positions that have the opportunity and authority to right our moral compass and return the nation to a culture of life and the values it was founded upon."
The National Day of Prayer became official in 1988, when a presidential proclamation set aside the first Thursday of May every year for prayer. But America's national culture of prayer predates the country itself.
George Washington was the first to call for a day of prayer and fasting as he led the Revolution. Our governing document owes its existence to prayer - a potentially fatal stalemate ended almost immediately after Benjamin Franklin convinced delegates to begin each session of a Constitutional Convention with prayer.
President Washington prayed for the country in his inaugural address, President Lincoln asked all Americans to pray for an end to the Civil War, President Roosevelt prayed during a radio address announcing the largest military action in history during WWII and President Truman responded to a request from Congress for a formal day of prayer.
