National Day of Prayer...

 

 May 5, 2011 is the National Day of Prayer. This got me thinking, When was our first National Day of Prayer? So I did a bit of research and discovered, our nation regarded prayer as important pretty much from the beginning. The date was July 20, 1775, the day was set aside as the National Day of Humiliation, Fasting and Prayer of the Second Continental Congress. This proclamation did not come from the church, but from the men leading our country at the time. They knew they needed God's help to get through the war and to build a new nation. The last line in the proclamation reads this way: 

And it is recommended to Christians, of all denominations, to assemble for public worship, and to abstain from servile labour and recreations on said day.

This shows me they were serious about prayer and understood the importance of praying together as a nation and for our nation. They did this to the extent of urging people to put aside the whole day for prayer and fasting. There were several more great leaders of our country who called for National Days of Prayer, including Washington and Lincoln. In 1952, President Truman signed a law that would give the country a National Day of Prayer every year.  

So this Thursday is once again the National Day of Prayer. I urge you to get involved. Here is a link that lists several ways you can get involved: 

http://nationaldayofprayer.org/about/get-involved/

I encourage to find an event in your area, if you can't find an event its not too late to organize one for your church, family or friends. You can also just pray by yourself. The key is to pray! Pray because:

A Mighty Fortress is our God!