National Day of Prayer 2011

This week, Thursday, May 5, 2011 our Nation will celebrate National Day of Prayer. The gathering of thousands across the United States will be occur at Court Houses, churches and places of worship to name just a few, but this day will also be marked by students in their schools, business associations and organizations will also pause for a moment to highlight prayer. All of these events will help mark the importance of a single action that calls upon the Creator of the Universe, Jesus Christ.

During an Easter service this year President Obama said the following: In the words of the Book Isaiah: "But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed." This magnificent grace, this expansive grace, this "Amazing Grace" calls me to reflect. And it calls me to pray. It calls me to ask God for forgiveness for the times that I've not shown grace to others, those times that I've fallen short. It calls me to praise God for the gift of his Son and our Savior”. In my life time I have only heard three U.S. Presidents use these types of words and phrases. Presidents Carter and Clinton identified themselves as Christians and I am delighted to have heard these same type of expressions from President Obama. I am additionally delighted to have learned that when a Judged declared through a court ruling that the National Day of Prayer was unconstitutional, President Obama ordered an appeal of the ruling to the 7th U.S. Circuit Court to preserve the Law that Established a National Day of Prayer in 1952.

The Freedom from Religion Foundation filed the paperwork that won an initial court ruling and they have been the organization that has filed countless such lawsuits including one to have the words, “In God We Trust” removed from our currency. The attack of our religions freedom has been an ongoing process by organizations attempting to limit our expressions and even more specifically to deny our heritage as a Nation. While it is my personal prayer that everyone would come to knowledge of the love and plan Jesus Christ has for each of us, I am also respectful knowing that not all will call upon His name. With this understanding, it is important for those that do profess to be a follower of Jesus Christ that you, we, us, that we all practice our faith and conviction.

On Thursday, it maybe that you will not have an opportunity to gather with other believers but you certainly have an opportunity to pray no matter where you might discover yourself to be on this day. Prayer can be conducted with our eyes open, standing, sitting, kneeling or even laying prostrate on a floor. It might be you will pray for several minutes or it could be a short prayer that you offer, but the power of your prayer joined with the attitude of other Christians the world over will have a powerful impact that we are yet to even know how to gauge. His response to our prayers is measured in many different ways. Sometimes the response is quick and clear, while at other times it maybe slow in developing as we attempt to understand His will for our lives and His answer to our prayers.

I know what I will be doing on Thursday and one of my prayers on this day of National Prayer will be a prayer of Thanks for the leadership of President Obama and a prayer of Thanks for the clear courage and thought process of the three Judges of the 7th Circuit who ruled the constitutionality of the Declaration of the National Day of Prayer 2011.

Until then