In 1775, the first Continental Congress called for a National Day of Prayer and in 1863 Abraham Lincoln called for such a day. The official United States National Day of Prayer was established in 1952, enacted in 1988 by congressional legislation to convene the first Thursday of May, annually. For 65 years, our nation has recognized this special day! This is a day when people are encouraged to spend time in prayer and meditation or attend one of the thousands of prayer gathering held across our nation. This year’s event was themed around Isaiah 58:1:
“Shout aloud!
Don’t hold back!
Lift up your voice like a trumpet!”
Did you participate in any way on May 5th?
Established in 1990 by Dr. John Hash and Dr. Corinthia Boone, the U.S. Capitol Bible Reading Marathon brings hundreds of believers to the West front of the Capitol to read aloud the entire Word of God without commentary over ninety continuous hours. The public reading of God’s Holy Word calls the nation to return to God’s precepts and lays a solid foundation for the National Day of Prayer. On May 1st through May 5th there were 90 continuous hours of Bible reading, from Genesis to Revelation, without commentary at the U.S. Capitol.
Andy Rau, Senior manager of content for Bible Gateway, lists five of the most interesting and memorable prayers in the Bible. Use these as inspiration as you spend time in prayer.
#5: David’s Prayer of Repentance (Psalm 51 NLT)
Convicted of a terrible sin, the Israelite King David cried out to God with one of the most moving confessions and pleas for forgiveness in all of the Bible.
#4: The Early Church Prays for Courage (Acts 4:24-31 NRSV)
Continually harassed for their beliefs and activities—even for a miraculous healing!—the early church gathered to thank God for delivering them from prison or worse.
#3: Solomon Prays for Wisdom (1 Kings 3 NIV)
If God offered to give you whatever you wanted, what would you ask for? The Israelite king Solomon was presented with just such an offer—but he didn’t ask for any of the things you might expect.
#2: Jehoshaphat Prays for Deliverance (2 Chronicles 20:5-12 ESV)
Faced by an overwhelming force of enemies bent on his destruction, the king Jehoshaphat called out to God with a prayer that acknowledged his own powerlessness, and entreated God to intervene.
#1: The Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6:9-13 NASB)
Jesus’ own prayer is certainly the most famous prayer in the Bible—and it’s noteworthy for being short and to-the-point. Asked to demonstrate for his disciples how to pray, this is how Jesus responded.
As the tee shirts of the Prayer Station leaders on the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol read:
“KEEP CALM AND PRAY LONG“
Sources:
32nd Annual Capital Region National Day of Prayer Annual Observance, U.S. Capitol Grounds, Washington DC, May 5, 2016
http://www.capitalregionndp.org/menu/NationalDayOfPrayer2016.asp
International Christian Host Coalition, CRNDP History and Themes
http://www.ichcndp.org/menu/HistoryThemes.asp
27th Annual U.S. Capitol Bible Reading Marathon
http://www.dcbiblemarathon.org
Five Biblical Prayers for the National Day of Prayer, Andy Rau, May 5, 2016
https://www.biblegateway.com/blog/2016/05/five-biblical-prayers-for-national-day-of-prayer/
David Robert Lambert 