The National Day of Prayer is observed annually on the first Thursday in May. This year it falls on May 4, 2023. People of many different faiths join in prayer on this day. At LifeTalk Radio we believe prayer makes a difference. We encourage you to participate in the National Day of Prayer. Pray for our nation and our leaders. Pray for your community, your neighbors, your friends and family. And when you have personal prayer needs or concerns we invite you to share them with us. Submit your prayer requests online any day, any time. Or call our prayer hotline: 1-800-775-HOPE (4673).
The Bible says, “The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.” James 5:16. It even suggests we, “pray without ceasing.” 1 Thessalonians 5:17. One of my favorite authors wrote these words, “It is a part of God’s plan to grant us, in answer to the prayer of faith, that which He would not bestow did we not thus ask.” Great Controversy, page 525.
Our founding fathers and leaders recognized the important of prayer throughout history, especially when faced with critical decisions. In 1775 the Continental Congress asked the colonies to pray for wisdom in forming a new nation. In 1863 President Lincoln called for a day of prayer as this nation was embattled in a devastating Civil War. Many other presidents have also called for national prayer. The National Day of Prayer was created by a joint resolution of the United States Congress in 1952. It was signed into law by President Harry S. Truman.
Prayer is an integral part of who we are as a people. The National Day of Prayer belongs to all Americans. It transcends differences and brings citizens together regardless of race, language, background or religion. In 1808 Thomas Jefferson wrote: “Fasting and prayer are religious exercises; the enjoining them an act of discipline. Every religious society has a right to determine for itself the time for these exercises, and the objects proper for them, according to their own particular tenets; and right can never be safer than in their hands, where the Constitution has deposited it.”
Years later, Mrs. Shirley Dobson, chairman emeritus for the National Day of Prayer, said, “We have lost many of our freedoms in America because we have been asleep. I feel if we do not become involved and support the annual National Day of Prayer, we could end up forfeiting this freedom, too.”
