May Every Day is a series of daily blog posts for May 2021 sharing days and weeks that we celebrate or observe. Some of these days are well-known holidays while others are more obscure observances, some are celebrated internationally while others are more nationally focused, some are significant while others are just plain FUN!
The first Thursday in May is designated as a National Day of Prayer here in the United States. It is a day that invites people of all faiths to pray for our nation. Spurred by the evangelical movement and evangelist Billy Graham, a joint resolution by Congress was signed into law by President Harry S. Truman in 1952 and moved to the first Thursday in May by President Ronald Reagan. This year's prayer is: Lord pour out Your Love, Life and Liberty.
The National Day of Prayer website says this about the significance of the day: The National Day of Prayer has great significance for us as a nation as it enables us to recall and to teach the way in which our founding fathers sought the wisdom of God when faced with critical decisions. It stands as a call for us to humbly come before God, seeking His guidance for our leaders and His grace upon us as a people. The unanimous passage of the bill establishing the National Day of Prayer as an annual event, signifies that prayer is as important to our nation today as it was in the beginning.
Today is the 70th National Day of Prayer. Here's a video with more information about these "70 Years of Prayer." (If you are reading this on email, you may need to click over to the blog to watch.)
Today, I encourage you to stop and say a prayer for our great nation! Take time to thank Him for all that we have, ask Him to heal the unrest and division in our world, beseech Him to guide our leaders, and praise Him that we live in a country where prayer is still celebrated. Lord pour our your love, life and liberty on our nation!
For my friends in other countries around the world, I challenge you also to take a moment today to say a prayer for your nation and its leaders!
I think having a national day of prayer is a good idea, there's so much in each country that needs healing. Our church participates in World Day of Prayer & this year in was our church's turn to "host" the event with the other 4 churches in our area. Because of lockdown it had to be done as a virtual event, which just isn't the same.
ReplyDeleteIt feels more necessary than ever to pray for unity and the hope of reconciliation in our nation and the world.
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