National Day of Prayer

As some of you may or may not know, since 1952 Congress set forth a National Day of Prayer, asking all Americans "to turn to God in prayer and meditation at churches, in groups, and as individuals". This day unites Americans in a common goal, prayer and petition before the Lord Almighty. Recently, there has been a lot to pray about, so I believe the observance of this day is as important as ever.

This observance has come under a lot of scrutiny over the years. Most recently the Freedom from Religion Foundation (FFRF) sued a number of officials, including President Bush, saying the observance "allows the government to have unrestrained authority to demean members of any religious group without legal consequence. The federal government could declare the 'National Day of Anti-Semitism' or even declare Christianity the official religion of the United States, but no one would have standing to sue because no one would have to 'pass by' those declarations." In 2009, the Obama Administration asked the U.S. District Court to dismiss the case, because FFRF had no legal standing to sue and that the tradition of the National Day of Prayer even preceded the signing of the bill in 1952 by Harry S. Truman. FFRF then proceeded to add President Obama and Press Secretary Gibbs to their law suit.

On April 15, 2010, U.S. District Judge Barbara Crabb ruled the statute for a National Day of Prayer was unconstitutional stating "prayer is so personal and can have such a powerful effect on a community that the government may not use its authority to try to influence an individual's decision whether and when to pray". An appeal to this ruling was filed by the U.S. Department of Justice on April 22, 2010.

Brothers and Sisters, this day must be observed by every American who sees a need for revival in our great country! We need Christian leaders at the local, state, and federal level to start standing up for what they believe in, and put bi-partisan politics to bed. This isn't about Republican and Democrat, conservative or liberal. This is about the state of our country and the souls of the people in it!

This year's National Day of Prayer is Thursday May 6th. What I am recommending is getting the class together at some point during that day to lift our hearts and prayers to the Lord in a group observance. I know this day is a weekday, and a lot of people are busy, so we need to pick a time that works for everyone. I would suggest some time in the evening we all meet at the Sunday School house, and we spend some time in prayer and worship. I will bring this up in Sunday School this week to see what you all think.

It is time to make prayer a priority in a very lost nation! This begins with a spark, which will become a raging fire with constant tending and vigilance! Let us be "Joyful in Hope, patient in affliction, and faithful in prayer". - Romans 12:12