National Day of Prayer 2024

Today is the “National Day of Prayer,” which originated and is observed by an act of Congress on the 1st Thursday in May each year.

The theme this year is “LIFT UP THE WORD–LIGHT UP THE WORLD.  It is based on 2 Samuel 22:29-31

29 You are my lamp, O Lord;
the Lord turns my darkness into light.

30 With your help I can advance against a troop;
with my God I can scale a wall.

31 “As for God, his way is perfect;
the word of the Lord is flawless.
He is a shield
for all who take refuge in him.
NIV

In that spirit may I offer this simple prayer

Dear Heavenly Father,

We acknowledge you as our Creator. Our Protector. Our Sustainer. The One and only true God.

Father, our land is broken. Hearts are hurting. And the souls of our citizens are being sacrificed on altars of selfish ambition, personal pride, materialistic pursuits, moral compromise, political correctness, personal prejudices, racial bias, perverted justice, and unbridled lusts.

We pray for our governmental leaders. From our local communities to the President. May they seek your counsel, wisdom, and will. May decisions be made and laws enacted that honor Truth and Righteousness.

We pray for our homes. Strengthen husbands and wives. Parents and children. May the family values of your Word once again be valued, taught, and lived as we mold young hearts.

We pray for our religious leaders. May churches, preachers, and pastors be faithful to your Word. Proclaim your Truth. And reject and repudiate every false way.

We pray personally that each of us may examine our own hearts. Admit our sins. Confess our failures. And humbly repent. We ask your forgiveness. We seek your guidance. We beg for your mercy.

May we truly seek to lift up your Word, as we accept its Divine Source, submit to its counsel, and practice it in our personal and professional lives.  And may we light up the world with Him who is “The Light of the Word,” Jesus Christ, as we take up His cross and follow in His footsteps.

Thank you, Father, for your grace, love and mercy. For all blessings, both physical and spiritual. And for the gracious gift of Your Son through whom we can receive redemption.

Deliver us from evil. Protect us from harm. Give us strength, courage, and a resolve to be faithful.

With thankful and trusting hearts, we offer this prayer in the name of Jesus, our Lord, and Savior.

Amen!