Day 121: National Day of Prayer
Psalm 33:12
“Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD.”
Daniel 9:19
“O Lord, listen! O Lord, forgive! O Lord, hear and act! For Your sake, O My God.”
In 1952, Billy Graham gave an address at the U.S. Capitol that inspired legislation leading to an annual National Day of Prayer. On April 17, 1952, President Harry Truman signed it into law after the bill was passed unanimously. On January 1988, President Ronald Reagan signed a law designating the first Thursday in May to be the official annual observance day. These many years later, it is still imperative that we pray for our nation. Just watching the news every night we see how we need God’s hand to move in the life of our beloved country. How about for you? Are you worried about your future? The future of our country? Are you troubled? Are you fearful? Are you feeling hopeless? There are many examples of how God impresses upon us the need to pray to prepare our hearts to respond in trust to something we have no idea is going to happen. Only the Lord knows how many events have been thwarted because of the prayers of His people. So let us join together on this day, perhaps by using the guidelines below, to pray for our country. We lift up our requests as one nation under God, our hearts and voices praying in one accord—according to His sovereign will—for our nation, its leaders, our families, our schools and our neighborhoods. Oh, God, hear Us! Forgive us! Heal us!
Praise and Worship
“Worship the Lord with reverence, and rejoice with trembling” Ps. 2:11
Confession
“Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.” James 5:16
Pray for:
Our Nation
“…and My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray, and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.” Chr. 7:14
Our Leaders
“First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, for kings and all who are in authority, in order that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity.” 1 Tim. 2:1
Our Families
Men ~ “For the ways of a man are before the eyes of the Lord, and He watches all his paths.” Prov. 5:6
Women ~ “The wise woman builds her house.” Prov. 14:1
“…a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised.” Prov. 31:30
Children ~ “I have no greater joy than this, to hear of my children walking in Truth.” 3 John 1:4
Our Schools
“See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ.” Col. 2:8
Our Neighborhoods
“…you shall love your neighbor as yourself; I am the Lord.” Lev. 19:18,
Dear Father, accept our prayers, we beseech You. Hear our pleas, we beg You. In all, we acknowledge, In God We Trust. In Your name we pray. Amen.
