Today is the National Day of Prayer (NDP). As I did some research on this, I was under the impression that this was a modern celebration that had its beginnings in a particular organization. The history of the day was surprising.
Pray.com is the official website for the NDP. They provide the following history:
July 1775—Cannons were firing in the air. The United States was not yet its own as the Revolutionary War was being fought. The Continental Congress issued a proclamation of fasting and prayer to ask God for favor and freedom.
February 1795—We were a new nation. George Washington, as one of his first acts as the leader of our infant country, proclaimed a day of thanksgiving and prayer for the nation.
May 1798—The nation was in flux, and its future uncertain. John Adams declared a day of “solemn, humility, fasting, and prayer.”
March 1863—The Civil War was ravaging our divided nation. Abraham Lincoln signed a Congressional resolution which called for a day of fasting and prayer.
February 1950—Billy Graham led services on Capitol Hill’s steps, leading President Harry Truman to establish the first National Day of Prayer.
May 1983—The heart of our nation was being reignited towards God, and Ronald Reagan and the conservative evangelical Christian organization called the “National Prayer Committee” coordinated and implemented a fixed annual day of prayer for the nation.1
“Prayer has shaped America’s history, and it’s still shaping us today.
“Each year, the President of the United States adds to the tradition by issuing an official proclamation, a reminder that beyond policies and politics, faith remains a cornerstone of the American spirit.
Whether whispered in pews or declared in public squares, these prayers weave together a diverse nation, proving that in times of uncertainty, America still believes in the power of prayer.”2
Tradition? The urgency and passion of the early Colonists to pray in 1775 wasn’t tradition. It was a plea to God out of their desperation and need. THEY couldn’t Make America Great Again. They couldn’t make America come into existence. With nothing to offer, they prayed and fasted for a miracle.
While there is a temptation to applaud an NDP, what good does it do for religious people (notice I didn’t say Christian) in this country to participate in a tradition and ritual, then go on with their day as if nothing has changed? Some are going to be shocked by my comments, but they are Biblically sound if you believe the Scriptures.
John 9:31 Now we know that God heareth not sinners: but if any man be a worshipper of God, and doeth his will, him he heareth.
Psalms 34:15-17 The eyes of the LORD are upon the righteous, and his ears are open unto their cry. (16) The face of the LORD is against them that do evil, to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth. (17) The righteous cry, and the LORD heareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles.
Proverbs 15:8 The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the LORD: but the prayer of the upright is his delight.
Proverbs 15:29 The LORD is far from the wicked: but he heareth the prayer of the righteous.
A proclamation calling for everyone in a nation to pray seems to be an expression of 2 Timothy 3:5. “Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.” It’s a form of Godliness that transforms nothing. Once we’ve offered our religious sacrifice, we celebrate with hedonism, going right back to the same Godless debauchery that has poisoned our nation.
Prayer is communication between the child of God and their Heavenly Father. We are invited to come boldly to the throne of God’s grace (Hebrews 4:16) and pour out our petitions. We are supposed to be in an attitude and spirit of prayer at all times so that we can “pray without ceasing.” (1 Thessalonians 5:17) And James 5:16 reminds us that “… the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.”
America is in the condition it’s in NOT because the unsaved religious have missed coming out for an NDP. America’s condition falls upon the shoulders of the child of God and the worldly condition of His church. An NDP isn’t going to fix that!
However, there is a solution, and it’s found in a familiar verse. It’s a call for revival and repentance among the Christians. As you read the verse, notice the words in bold print. Notice that the prayer is conditional – it starts with the word “if” and pivots on the word “then.”
America DOES need prayer, but for that prayer to be effective, it must come from the right source and that source must be right. On this National Day of Prayer, let me call on the nation of the Lord, the Christians, to put 2 Chronicles 7:14 into practice. “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; THEN will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.”
1https://www.pray.com/national-day-of-prayer-2025
2Ibid.
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