Released 3 May 2012
Join us in recognizing the source of our blessings!
Dating back to our countries first President, George Washington, the
National Day of Prayer has served
as a day of public thanksgiving and prayer. President Truman signed a bill in
1952 proclaiming that each
President must designate a National Day of Prayer, now held on the first
Thursday in May. As president
Ronald Reagan said:
"This Nation has fervently
sought and received divine guidance as it pursued the
course of history. This occasion provides our Nation with an opportunity to
further recognize the source
of our blessings, and to seek His help for the challenges we face today and in
the future."
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Today, May 3rd, marks the 61st annual observance of the day
on which all
people are invited to pray. The
2012 theme is “One Nation Under God” based on Psalm 33:12,
“Blessed is the nation whose God is
Lord.”
The
National Day of Prayer serves as a reminder for Americans to recall God’s
wisdom and to seek His guidance during troubled times. Approximately two
million Americans will take part in this observance on Thursday. Join us in
this opportunity to cast our cares on the Lord!
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Our prayers:
- With 12.7 million Americans currently unemployed, 7.5% of Pennsylvanians,
we pray for the families and individuals who are jobless and struggling with
finances; that they might find the temporary care they need as well as the
long-term solutions and employment that will better their lives and end their
woes.
- We pray for our leaders that God may guide them in wisdom that peace and
justice may abound.
- We pray for our nation’s young people that they follow God throughout
their lives and grow in love for Him and serve others in His name.
- We pray for the ill, the weak, the homebound, the destitute, the lonely,
the brokenhearted and that they may all be comforted by God’s presence
and restored in body, mind and soul.
- We pray for effective drug and alcohol rehabilitation of the men and women
of The Salvation Army’s Adult Rehabilitation Centers.
- We pray for all Americans, that they might turn their lives towards God and
serve others in His name.
- We pray for the victims and families affected by the shooting at
Pittsburgh’s Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic.
- We pray for those who have been victims of fire and floods.
- We pray for those who have lost loved ones in car accidents.
Our founder, William Booth, once said: “You
must pray with all your might. That does not
mean saying
your prayers, or sitting gazing about in church of chapel with eyes wide open
while someone else says
them for you. It means fervent, untiring wrestling with God.”
Share this story with your family and friends, and take part in the
National
Day of Prayer!