Today is the National Day of Prayer and a vital part of our American heritage. Since the first call to prayer in 1775, when the Continental Congress asked the colonies to pray for wisdom in forming a nation, the call to prayer has continued through our history, including President Lincoln’s proclamation of a day of “humiliation, fasting, and prayer” in 1863.
In 1952, a joint resolution by Congress, signed by President Truman, declared an annual National Day of Prayer. In 1988, the law was amended and signed by President Reagan, permanently setting the day as the first Thursday of every May. Click Here to see the history of The National Day of Prayer.
American Family Radio will carry the National Day of Prayer broadcast across our full network this evening from 7 until 8:30 PM CT. If you are not in range of one of our terrestrial stations, you can listen online at www.afr.net or on our app. (Download our AFR app free here.) You can also join the 2023 National Day of Prayer live broadcast this evening beginning at 7 PM CT on AFA’s Facebook page.
Click Here to locate and participate in a National Day of Prayer event in your area
The National Day of Prayer stands as a call for us to humbly come before God, seeking His guidance for our leaders and His grace upon us as a people. Today, I urge all supporters of American Family Association and American Family Radio to join in this prayer for America by Kathy Branzell, who is president of the National Day of Prayer Task Force.
Let us pray:
We come with fervent hearts to praise You, Lord. You are the Word, the Way, Truth and Life. You are the Alpha and Omega, Lion of Judah, and Almighty God, who was, and is, and is to come. You clothed Yourself in flesh and dwelt among us, to remove our sin and clothe us in Your righteousness, that we might dwell with You forever and ever.
With broken, humbled hearts we repent of our sins. Confessing to You our faithlessness, prayerlessness, and disobedience. Forgive us for our doubt, our prideful and quarrelsome words that reveal our unclean hearts. Cleanse us and renew a right and steadfast spirit within us, we pray.
With grateful hearts we thank You fervently for the blessings in our life and throughout America; they are more than we are able to count. We will remember Your grace and testify to Your goodness in all generations. Help us to refrain from complaining, but instead be prompted to pray faithfully in every circumstance. Teach us to have a content heart, knowing You are always enough for our every need.
As the church, we commit to pray and love our neighbor and nation as You loved us, that our reputation in this world would be rooted in Your love. Holy Spirit, work and overflow through us in every prayer, thought, word, and deed. May our character, conversations, and conduct reflect the righteousness in which You clothed us and commanded us to live.
With an obedient heart we put on the full armor of God; Your breastplate of righteousness guards our heart from which flows the springs of life. We pray fervently for our communities and country; the people who are in the church, family, education, business and workplace, military, government, arts, entertainment and media. Every person is Your workmanship, fearfully and wonderfully created and loved.
With hopeful hearts we pray that all would choose to receive Your love and follow You. We pray that America would confess, “Jesus is Lord,” and reflect Your righteousness in every sphere of influence and every aspect of our lives. We ask that heavenly hope would flood our hearts, silence hate, and that You will heal our land. Believing You –– all You are, all You said, and all You have promised –– we pray fervently in the righteousness that avails much.
In Jesus’s name we pray, Amen!
