The word “pray” appears 306 times in the Holy Bible; “prayer” appears 107 times. Prayer is our communication tool with God. James 4:2 tells us “ye have not, because ye ask not”.
However, prayer is not just asking God for what we want, it is praising Him for Who He Is, confessing our sin, thanking Him for all He has done and bringing our requests.
The first Thursday in May is the National Day of Prayer, where people of the United States may turn to God in prayer for our nation.
Psalms 54:2 - “Hear my prayer, O God; give ear to the words of my mouth.”In 1986, Vonette Bright (read her amazing story here) and the National Prayer Committee contact Senator Strom Thurmond (R) for guidance on writing a bill that would designate a day for the National Day of Prayer.
In 1987, Senator Thurmond wrote the bill then introduces it to the Senate Judiciary Committee. While Senator Thurmond works the bill through the Senate, Congressman Tony Hall champions the bill through the House of Representatives, often fielding calls from Vonette Bright on the status of the bill moving through committee.
Prior to 1987, Bill and Vonette Bright led Congressman Hall to the Lord, and even arranged for a spiritual mentor to come into his office, pray with him, and answer questions. According to Congressman Hall, "One day Vonette called me and she said something about this day of prayer -- we need an exact day of prayer, and asked me to sponsor the bill. And I said, why haven't we done this before? Vonette was amazing! She would call me two to three times a week! She was like a bulldog, she wouldn't let go until we passed this bill and it became a law."
Prayer.Changes.Things. One woman’s persistence for the cause of Christ led a Congressman to Christ, which resulted in national recognition of reliance on our LORD and Saviour to lead our nation. Your persistence in prayer can effect change too.
On May 5, 1988, Ronald Reagan signs into law Public Law the designation of the first Thursday in May as the annual observance for the National Day of Prayer.
Please join us in praying for our nation. Now more than ever, we need to give reverence to Almighty God, confess our sin and the sin of this republic, thank Him for his longsuffering and ask Him to fix the mess we’ve created in this nation. Prayer.Changes.Things!
Read related post – A Prayer for Our Nation Questions? How to Become a Child of God
