Today is the 2011 National Day of Prayer.
Prior to the founding of our nation, the Continental Congress issued a proclamation recommending a "day of publick [sic] humiliation, fasting, and prayer" be observed on July 20, 1775.
During the Quasi-War with France, President John Adams declared May 9, 1798, a "day of solemn humility, fasting and prayer."
On March 30, 1863, Abraham Lincoln issued a proclamation expressing the idea "that the awful calamity of civil war [sic] which now desolates the land, may be but a punishment inflicted upon us, for our presumptuous sins" and designated April 30, 1863 as a day of "national humiliation, fasting and prayer" in hopes that God would respond by restoring our "now divided and suffering country to its former happy condition of unity and peace. It is the duty of nations, as well as of men, to own their dependence upon the overruling power of God, to confess their sins and transgressions, in humble sorrow, yet with assured hope that genuine repentance will lead to mercy and pardon; and to recognize the sublime truth, announced in the Holy Scriptures and proven by all of history, that those nations only are blessed whose God is the Lord."
More recently, Billy Graham is attributed with the introduction of a national day of prayer, suggesting it in a multi-week crusade at the nation's capitol. Members of the House and Senate introduced a joint resolution for an annual National Day of Prayer "on which the people of the United States may turn to God in prayer and meditation at church, in groups and as individuals." On April 17, 1952, President Harry S. Truman signed the bill.
In his 1983 declaration, President Ronald Reagan said, "From General Washington's struggle at Valley Forge to the present, this Nation fervently sought and received divine guidance as it pursued the course of history. This occasion provides our Nation 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."
A great source of inspiration for any student of history, you will be uplifted and challenged by reading Prayers and Presidents: Inspiring Faith from Leaders of the Past by WILLIAM J. FEDERER.
In this book, you will find a chapter on every president, from George Washington to George W. Bush, with excerpts from Proclamations, Addresses to Congress, Executive Orders and Personal Correspondence and Memoirs.
For example:
"Went to church and fasted all day."-GEORGE WASHINGTON, Diary Entry, June 1, 1774, day British blockaded Boston's harbor.
From George Washington's orders for troops to attend divine services to Harry S. Truman's annual day of prayer, America's leaders of the past have a tradition of faith, especially in times of crises!
"Appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions..."-THOMAS JEFFERSON, Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776
"That the citizens of these States, abstaining on that day from their customary worldly occupations...acknowledge before God the manifold sins and transgressions...as individuals and as a nation, beseeching Him...through the Redeemer of the World, freely to remit all our offenses, and to incline us by His Holy Spirit to that sincere repentance and reformation."-JOHN ADAMS, Day of Fasting declared during a threatened war with France, March 23, 1798
"In the present time of public calamity and war a day may be recommended to be observed by the people of the United States as a day of...humble adoration to the Great Sovereign of the Universe, of confessing their sins and transgressions, and of strengthening their vows of repentance."-JAMES MADISON, Day of Fasting, November 16, 1814, after British burned the Capital
"In a time of war humbly and devoutly to acknowledge our dependence on Almighty God and to implore His aid and protection...I, Woodrow Wilson, President of the United States of America, do hereby...exhort my fellow-citizens...to pray Almighty God that He may forgive our sins."-WOODROW WILSON, Day of Fasting May 11, 1918, during World War I
"Almighty God: Our sons, pride of our nation, this day have set upon a mighty endeavor, a struggle to preserve our Republic, our religion and our civilization...Help us, Almighty God, to rededicate ourselves in renewed faith in Thee in this hour of great sacrifice."-FRANKLIN D. ROOSEVELT, June 6, 1944, D-Day Prayer on Allied Invasion of Normandy, France
"America needs God more than God needs America. If we ever forget that we are One Nation Under God, then we will be a Nation gone under."-RONALD REAGAN, August 23, 1984, at Ecumenical Prayer Breakfast, Dallas, Texas
Specifications: Paperback, 304 pages
About the Author: WILLIAM J. FEDERER is a nationally known speaker, best-selling author, and president of Amerisearch, Inc., a publishing company dedicated to researching America's noble heritage. Bill has been interviewed on thousands of radio programs, quoted or referenced in dozens of media publications, and has authored several books. His popular A" has sold over a half-million copies. His works, which have been quoted by authors, politicians, leaders, journalists, teachers, students and in court cases. Bill's AMERICAN MINUTE radio feature is broadcast daily across America and by the Internet.
No comments:
Post a Comment