Prayer has always been used in this
country for guidance, protection and strength…even before we were a nation…or a
handful of colonies. The Pilgrims at Plymouth relied on prayer during their
first and darkest winter. Our founding fathers also called for prayer during
the Constitutional Congress. In their eyes…our recently created nation and
freedoms…were a direct gift from God. And being a gift from God…there was only
one way to insure protection…through prayer.
Through the years…presidents have
encouraged the American people to seek God’s help and deliverance during trying
times.
When it came to the fate of the
nation, Abraham Lincoln practiced what he preached. Before the battle of
Gettysburg, he turned to God in prayer. It is the duty of nations, as well
as men, to owe their dependence upon the overruling power of God. – Abraham
Lincoln
As American troops stormed the
beaches of Normandy, President Franklin Roosevelt called for our nation to
unite in prayer. He also offered a prayer to prepare each citizen for the road
ahead. Let our hearts be stout, to wait out the long travail, to bear
sorrows that may come, to impart our courage unto our sons wheresoever they may
be. And, O Lord, give us faith. Give us faith in Thee. – FDR
Today the
need for prayer is as great as ever. Our nation again faces battlefields, along
with an epidemic of broken homes, violence, sexual immorality and social
strife. As the heroes of our nation did in the past, we must again bow our heads
in prayer. We must ask the Lord to bless our leaders with wisdom and
protection, and that we will have the fortitude to overcome the challenges at
hand. If the Pilgrims, Lincoln, and Roosevelt never underestimated the power of
prayer, neither should we.
We would like to extend an invitation
to you to participate as Redeemer Church will be celebrating the 63rd
annual National Day of Prayer May 1, 2014. It is our goal that you, your family, and friends would participate in
the National Day of Prayer. We pray that the event impacts your life, and that
praying for our nation moves from a one-day event to a lifetime endeavor.
We encourage you to invite: family
members-friends-neighbors-or co-workers…to pray with you… to join us at
Redeemer Church for 7:00pm prayer service on Thursday May 1, 2014…as we seek
the continued blessings of Almighty God on behalf of…our community…our state…and
our nation.*
*Excerpts from the 2014 National Day
of Prayer web site.
No comments:
Post a Comment