Apr 26, 2010

National Day of Prayer, 2010


National Day of Prayer Under Attack

As honorary chairman for the National Day of Prayer Task Force, Franklin Graham is challenging pastors and churches over the next two Sundays to intercede for America.

“Only two Sundays remain before the National Day of Prayer, an event under attack like never before,” Graham said. “I am calling on pastors to ask their congregations to stand with us as we pray for our president, our leaders, our men and women in the military, and our nation as a whole. We need churches everywhere to stand with us on May 6 as we join in prayer as one nation, under God.”

VIDEO: Franklin Graham speaks with CBN News about the Army's decision to rescind an invitation to speak at the Pentagon.


Graham will be in Washington May 6 to lead a prayer service for the nation at the Cannon House Office Building. He was also scheduled to speak at the Pentagon until the U.S. Army rescinded his invitation.

“I want to express my strong support for the United States military and all our troops,” said Graham, whose youngest son serves in the Army. "I will continue to pray that God will give them guidance, wisdom, and protection, as they serve this great country.”

Graham joins a task force led by Mrs. Shirley Dobson whose mission is to mobilize the Christian community to intercede for America and its leadership in the seven centers of power: Government, Military, Media, Business, Education, Church, and Family.




Millions will unite in prayer at thousands of events from coast to coast. This year’s theme is “Prayer for Such a Time as This” and is based on Nahum 1:7: “The LORD is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in Him.”

The National Day of Prayer is an annual observance held on the first Thursday of May, inviting people of all faiths to pray for the nation. It was created in 1952 by a joint resolution of the United States Congress, and signed into law by President Harry S. Truman.


The day has become a national observance, with events held across the nation and in Washington, D.C. Last year, local, state and federal observances were held from sunrise in Maine to sunset in Hawaii, uniting Americans from all socio-economic, political, and ethnic backgrounds in prayer for our nation. It is estimated that more than two million people attended more than 40,000 observances organized by tens of thousands of volunteers. At state capitols, county court houses, on the steps of city halls, and in schools, businesses, churches, and homes, people stopped their activities and gathered for prayer.

The National Day of Prayer transcends differences, bringing together citizens from all backgrounds.“We have lost many of our freedoms in America because we have been asleep,” said Mrs. Dobson, chairman of the task force. “I feel if we do not become involved and support the annual National Day of Prayer, we could end up forfeiting this freedom, too.


For more information, visit the National Day of Prayer web site.




Prayer for the Nation By Franklin Graham – 2010 Honorary Chairman


Lord, We are thankful for the abundant blessings You have bestowed on America.

Our forefathers looked to You as Protector, Provider, and the Promise of hope. But we have wandered far from that firm foundation. May we repent for turning our backs on Your faithfulness.

We pray that this great nation will be restored by Your forgiveness.

From bondage, You grant freedom.

Through Your own sacrifice, You offer salvation.

From the state of despair, You offer peace.

From the bounties of Heaven, You have blessed – not because of our goodness – but by Your grace. You have given us freedom to worship You in spirit and in truth as Your Holy Word instructs. May our lives honor You in word and deed. May our nation acknowledge that all good things come from the Father above.

President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed that our nation should set apart a day for national prayer to confess our sins and transgressions in sorrow: “...yet with assured hope that genuine repentance will lead to mercy and pardon… announced in the Holy Scriptures and proven by all history, that those nations only are blessed whose God is the Lord.”

“We have vainly imagined in the deceitfulness of our own hearts, that all these blessings were produced by some superior wisdom and virtue of our own… we have become too self-sufficient to feel the necessity of redeeming and preserving grace, too proud to pray to the God who made us! It behooves us then… to confess our national sins and to pray for clemency and forgiveness.”

Help us to pray earnestly for our president and leaders who govern, that they will humble themselves and seek Your guidance so that everything we do will shine the light of Your glory in a darkened world.
May our prayers as a people and a nation be heard and blessed for such a time as this. We make this plea in faith, believing in the mighty Name of Jesus our Lord.

Amen




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