“I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.” – 1 Timothy 2:1-2 (KJV)
The National Day of Prayer is only a day away, and as we prepare our hearts, minds, and souls to recognize this American holiday, let us take a moment to reflect on the historical precedent, current importance, and eternal wisdom that makes up this day.
The History of the National Day of Prayer
The National Day of Prayer has been observed in different forms by many US Presidents throughout our nation’s history:
- June 12, 1775: First Congressional Fasting and Prayer Proclamation
- March 6, 1799: President Adams designates April 25, 1799, a day of national humiliation, fasting, and prayer
- March 30, 1863: President Lincoln designates April 30, 1863, as a day of national humiliation, fasting, and prayer
- April 17, 1952: Congress and President Truman designate that the president shall annually appoint a National Day of Prayer
- May 5, 1988: President Reagan signs Public Law 100–307, making the first Thursday in May of each year the National Day of Prayer
Each of these proclamations beautifully, powerfully, and clearly portray the faith these men had in Almighty God and the trust they had in the power of prayer. They recognized their dependence on God, their wickedness and inadequacies, and their need to kneel down before their Maker who holds all of history in his hands.
The Current Importance of the National Day of Prayer
Unfortunately, through the years, this holiday has been forgotten and stricken from our national identity. Perhaps sometimes we fall into the same pattern as Americans in 1863 and boast in our own power. As President Abraham Lincoln so acutely observed:
“We have been the recipients of the choicest bounties of Heaven; we have been preserved these many years in peace and prosperity; we have grown in numbers, wealth, and power as no other nation has ever grown. But we have forgotten God. We have forgotten the gracious hand which preserved us in peace and multiplied and enriched and strengthened us, and we have vainly imagined, in the deceitfulness of our hearts, that all these blessings were produced by some superior wisdom and virtue of our own. Intoxicated with unbroken success, we have become too self-sufficient to feel the necessity of redeeming and preserving grace, too proud to pray to the God that made us.”
In a time of grave sins and civil war, the president’s response was not for the nation to hate itself, to champion its demise, or to hate its blessings. Rather, he exhorted his fellow countrymen, both northern and southern, free and slave, to turn to Almighty God in prayer and supplication. He continued by saying, “It behooves us, then, to humble ourselves before the offended Power, to confess our national sins, and to pray for clemency and forgiveness.”
This exhortation has proven itself to be timeless as America has faced many trials and tribulations throughout its history. In turn, many presidents have responded by calling on their countrymen to turn to the Lord in humiliation, fasting, and prayer.
So, whether we are suffering from disease, like the Americans under President Taylor, or war, like the Americans under President Lincoln and President Truman, let us always remember to do our Christian and civic duty to take our troubles to the Lord in prayer.
John Adams’s Prayer
As we celebrate the National Day of Prayer tomorrow, let us reflect on the prayer of President John Adams when he encouraged us to “call to mind our numerous offenses against the Most High God, confess them before Him with the sincerest penitence, implore His pardoning mercy.” I encourage you to read through this list of prayers written by Adams to choose one or two to pray to the Lord tomorrow. Pray for our nation’s virtue, prosperity, wealth, health, protection, and liberty.
- “He would turn us from our transgressions and turn His displeasure from us.”
- “He would preserve our country from the desolating sword.”
- “He would favor us with fruitful seasons and so bless the labors of the husbandman as that there may be food in abundance for man and beast.”
- “He would bless all magistrates, from the highest to the lowest, give them the true spirit of their station, make them a terror to evil doers and a praise to them that do well.”
- “He would extend the blessings of knowledge, of true liberty, and of pure and undefiled religion throughout the world.”
View the entirety of Adams’s prayer here.
The Power of the National Day of Prayer
It is wonderful, is it not, that though we continuously meet peril in our nation, we can trust that the same God who heard the prayer of Adams will hear our prayers today! We need only to boldly approach the throne in faith and “let our requests be made known to God” (Philippians 4:6).
As we do, remember that “Prayer is today as powerful a force in our nation as it has ever been. We as a Nation should never forget this source of strength. And while recognizing that the freedom to choose a Godly path is the essence of liberty, as a Nation we cannot but hope that more of our citizens would, through prayer, come into a closer relationship with their Maker.” – President Ronald Reagan, Proclamation 4826 — National Day of Prayer, 1981
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