About the National Day of Prayer (NDP)
Throughout America’s history, many Presidents have designated certain days to be set aside for the purpose of prayer. By issuing presidential proclamations, our nation’s leaders have requested that citizens take time on specific days to seek God’s divine intervention in the affairs of our nation.
In 1952, the U.S. Congress passed a law by unanimous vote, creating an annual National Day of Prayer. President Harry Truman signed this law with a proclamation asking the American people to pray as follows:
beseech God to grant us wisdom to know the course which we should follow, and strength and patience to pursue that course steadfastly
and to:
give thanks to Him for His constant watchfulness over us in every hour of national prosperity and national peril
In 1988, Congress amended that law designating the first Thursday in May as the annual National Day of Prayer. Here is an excerpt from the proclamation that President Ronald Reagan signed:
Let us join together, Americans all, throughout our land. Let us join together, in factories and farms, in homes and offices, in places of governance and places of worship, and in outposts everywhere that service men and women defend us. Let us, young and old, join together, as did the First Continental Congress, in the first step — humble, heartfelt prayer. Let us do so for the love of God and His great goodness, in search of His guidance and the grace of repentance, in seeking His blessings, His peace, and the resting of His kind and holy hands on ourselves, our Nation, our friends in the defense of freedom, and all mankind, now and always.
Since then, every President and all 50 governors have signed proclamations designating the first Thursday in May as a day of prayer, requesting that citizens of all faiths pray for our nation and for their community.
Year by year, millions of people join together all across America to pray and worship God at various public gatherings in city halls, county courthouses, state capitols, libraries, parks, businesses, churches and homes. It is estimated that there will be more than 60,000 prayer gatherings nationwide this year.
For more information about NDP
We invite you to watch this brief video:
or visit www.NationalDayOfPrayer.org.