Prayer...America's Hope

Thursday, May 7, 2009, marked the 58th annual observance of the National Day of Prayer.  The National Day of Prayer invites people across the United States to come together to pray for our Nation. 

In 1775, the Continental Congress designated a specific time for prayer in forming our new Nation.  Then, in 1952, President Harry Truman signed a bill requiring each subsequent President to declare a National Day of Prayer each year on an appropriate day of their choice.  In 1988, President Ronald Regan amended the law to permanently designate the first Thursday in May as the National Day of Prayer.

The National Day of Prayer Task Force, a non-government organization, coordinates the events for evangelical Christians on this day.  The theme for this year is “Prayer... America’s Hope” and is based on the verse from Psalm 33:22: “May your unfailing love rest upon us, O Lord, even as we put our hope in you.”  The Task Force expects that there will be more than 35,000 prayer gatherings across the United States and over 40,000 volunteers participating in the events scheduled to occur on the National Prayer Day.

President Obama, however, has decided to forgo the traditional public ceremony honoring the National Day of Prayer and will instead issue only a written proclamation.  Rather than paying tribute to the day, White House spokesman, Robert Gibbs, stated that the President will pray privately “as he does every day.”

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