(1 Tim 2:1-2) Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, 2 for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence.
The first Thursday of May is the National Day of Prayer. It is a time of national repentance and prayer for our great country. Here is some history about the National Day of Prayer:
1775 - The first Continental Congress called for a National Day of Prayer.
1863 - Abraham Lincoln called for such a day.
1952 - Congress established a NDP as an annual event by a joint resolution, signed into law by President Truman.
1988 - The law was amended and signed by President Reagan, designating the NDP as the first Thursday in May.
In the Bible we see the nation of Israel calling upon God in times of great need:
-King Hezekiah, when the Assyrian’s came to conquer the land (2 Kings 18-19)
-King Jehoshaphat, when the people of Moab and Ammon came against Israel (2 Chr 20)
-Queen Esther calls for prayer when Haman the Agagite tried to exterminate the Jews (Esther 4:15-17).
Each time God graciously delivered His people. Even outside Israel, nations were able to call upon the Lord in repentance. Jonah preached to Nineveh and they repented at his message and the Lord relented from the disaster He said He would bring upon the people (Jonah 3).
God honors prayer. Over history our nation has rebounded from many tragedies and woes. That’s the mercy of God. It sure hasn’t been because of our ongoing repentance or moral uprightness. But each year we have another opportunity to seek God on the National Day of Prayer.
The greatest and most effective thing you can do for your country is to pray. God loves America. Let’s fight for her on our knees! (Psa 144:15) Happy are the people who are in such a state; Happy are the people whose God is the LORD!
Louie