The National Day of Prayer MAY 2, 2019

The National Day of Prayer is coming up fast.

• What is the theme this year?

• How should we as Christians participate in this?

• What is the best way to pray? 

This Year's Theme

This year's theme is a call to Love One Another. I don't think that this could have been a better choice considering the division and strife currently running rampant in our nation. .” The theme comes from the words of Jesus in John 13:34, “Love one another. Just as I have loved you.”
Our country, communities, and families are at a difficult point in our culture. Never in my memory have we as a country been more fragmented. The last big fragmentation of our culture was during the civil rights movement and during the Viet Nam war. During the VN war, people called vets "baby killers" even though most were drafted. The civil rights movement was also a caustic time where
people were beaten for merely the color of their skin, but even then it didn't seem to permeate the culture to the extent it is happening now. Perhaps prayer will bathe our country, communities, and families in a Godly love that will overcome this division and fragmentation.

“We tend to forget that Jesus didn’t say we would be known by our creeds or by our knowledge or how much we know about the Bible — He said we would be known only by our love,” Dr. Ronnie Floyd said when revealing the 2019 theme at a leadership summit last fall. “And love has been painfully absent in America in so many ways.”

On Thursday evening, Dr. Floyd will lead the National Observance, which will be held at 7:30 p.m. ET in the National Statuary Hall of the U.S. Capitol. In attendance will be a few members of Congress as well as hundreds of American faith leaders. The National Observance will bring together a multiethnic, cross-denominational coalition of participants. Among these are Rev. Samuel Rodriguez, Rev. Anthony B. Thompson and Julio Arriola, a missionary to Mexico. For the press release from the official website for the NDP CLICK HERE.

How should we as Christians Participate?

Many of us have busy lives and most of us cannot take the time off to go to Washington. However, we can all take some time out of our lives to pray. It would be a good idea to try to spend time praying while the national prayer is going on at 7:30 p.m. EST on May 2. But if that is not possible take any time you can and spend some time praying.

I think you will agree, we sorely need prayer for our country, government and families.

What is the best way to pray?

This is my way, but it is not necessarily the best or only way. I personally don't trust my own motives. God's ways are higher than my ways. For this reason, I use the Lord's prayer as a template.  You can use this if it helps. It keeps me on track. I usually pray:

Prefacing your prayer with: Our Father who art in heaven	Acknowledging God and the fact that he resides everywhere.
Hallowed be thy name.	I spend some extra time here...Hallowed/Holy, this is a chance to praise God and acknowledge all of His many names and qualities.
Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.	This is the meat of your prayer. I pray for God's will and His kingdom to come in the lives of our leaders. Pray government officials will be motivated to do the "right thing." I work my way down from national leaders to state leaders, then to county and city leaders. I pray for church leaders, I pray God's will and kingdom to come in the lives of my husband, children, and grandchildren. I pray for friends and relatives that are not saved or that are sick. I trust God's wisdom and will more than my own.
Give us this day, our daily bread.	This is where I ask for needs to be met. I have fallen down on this at times because I thought some of my needs are not that important, but God wants us to depend on him, so I am learning not to minimize my own needs.
Forgive our sins as we forgive those who sin against us.	I try to reflect on who I may have offended or wronged and ask God to forgive me. I make myself ask that person to forgive me if it would benefit them to do so.  I also try to forgive any who have offended me. It's best to not wait to do this, but our prayers are more powerful if they are not hampered by unforgiveness so we should not omit this step.
Lead us not into temptation. Deliver us from the evil one. Your's is the Kindom and the Power and the Glory forever. Amen	Father make me aware of things I need to stay away from. Keep our country from unneeded conflict. Put a hedge around me, our city, our state and our country of protection from the evil one. 2 Timothy 1:12...for I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day. I spend time thanking God for his provision

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