The National Day of Prayer

 

If God knows everything, Why pray? 

    

         If My people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land." 2 Chronicles 7:14

      The difference between a wish and a prayer is that the person fervently lifts that desire up to our God and creator who calls for us to continue to depend on Him and not on our own resources to navigate the issues of life. 

        God commands His people to pray because of our desire to be independent of Him and follow our own idiosyncratic preferences. God knows all factors, players, the scope of effect and the future events. God is the only One who knows All contingencies but knows nothing contingently upon what will happen. God is the one to remember who can change Any situation for the good of all who desire the well-fare of all.  This is why wise leaders call for citizens of this country to pray. This is the way God's people have navigated the tides of world circumstances. God commands the events of the whole world and does so for His own glory and the good of those who love Him. 

       Some history below. 

         

First Call of Prayer in 1775

Because of the faith of many of our founding fathers, public prayer and national days of prayer have a long-standing and significant history in American tradition. The Supreme Court affirmed the right of state legislatures to open their sessions with prayer in Marsh vs. Chambers (1983).

The National Day of Prayer is a vital part of our heritage. Since the first call to prayer in 1775, when the Continental Congress asked the colonies to pray for wisdom in forming a nation, the call to prayer has continued through our history, including President Lincoln’s proclamation of a day of “humiliation, fasting, and prayer” in 1863. In 1952, a joint resolution by Congress, signed by President Truman, declared an annual national day of prayer. In 1988, the law was amended and signed by President Reagan, permanently setting the day as the first Thursday of every May. Each year, the president signs a proclamation, encouraging all Americans to pray on this day. Last year, all 50 state governors plus the governors of several U.S. territories signed similar proclamations. 

       Here is a wonderful prayer by the National Day of Prayer Task force. 

https://www.nationaldayofprayer.org/2023_national_prayer?recruiter_id

     Remember to say a prayer and walk a little closer to God.