'Powerful moment in our history': Americans to gather for National Day of Prayer observances
Thousands of prayer gatherings will be held nationwide on Thursday to celebrate the National Day of Prayer, an annual observance that dates back to a 1952 law requiring the president to designate a day for Americans to turn to God in prayer.
In-person and virtual events will be held at or in conjunction with churches and other community institutions with the help of National Day of Prayer Task Force volunteer coordinators in every state.
The annual National Day of Prayer broadcast will be held at 8 p.m. ET and typically reaches millions of households through television, radio and online platforms.
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The theme of this year's broadcast is "Lift Up the Word - Light Up the World," as inspired by 2 Samuel 22:29-31 and will be co-hosted by Pastor A.R. Bernard of the Christian Cultural Center in Brooklyn, New York, and National Day of Prayer Task Force President Kathy Branzell.
Special guests will include Matthew West, Os Guiness, Bishop Robert Stearns, Ken Harrison, Tony Perkins, Doug Stringer, Dianne Ogle, Geoff Eckart, Glenn Shepherd and others.
"We are so grateful for our 18,477 coordinators who are hosting these gatherings all across the nation and even some we don't even know about. We are so excited," said Branzell in a message posted to Vimeo.
"If you feel like your city, your community, your country has gotten a little darker, well, you've come to the right place. Thank you for gathering to lift up the Word and light up the world."
Bernard sent his greetings to the roughly 70,000 potential networks nationwide that are expected to join in prayer.
"I'm excited because we know the importance of prayer. That is a foundation. It's the atmosphere for everything that is going to follow," said Bernard, whose church has over 30,000 members and sits on an 11.5-acre campus in Brooklyn.
"To have this number of individuals at a network gathering like this, I think it's a powerful moment in our history. … It's been Godified. It's law. That says a lot about our nation."
The National Day of Prayer broadcast will be available on several multimedia platforms, including NRB TV, GodTV, Daystar, Bott Radio Network Christian Talk Radio, Christian Television Network, CBN News and Salem Radio.
According to the National Day of Prayer website, presidents of the United States have made 150 national calls to prayer, humiliation, fasting and thanksgiving since 1789. According to the National Day of Prayer Task Force, the observance "transcends differences, bringing together citizens from all backgrounds."
"The National Day of Prayer has great significance for us as a nation as it enables us to recall and to teach the way in which our founding fathers sought the wisdom of God when faced with critical decisions," states the National Day of Prayer website.
"The unanimous passage of the bill establishing the National Day of Prayer as an annual event, signifies that prayer is as important to our nation today as it was in the beginning."
Similar to holidays such as Thanksgiving or Christmas, the National Day of Prayer is on most Hallmark calendars.
"Every year, local, state, and federal observances were held from sunrise in Maine to sunset in Hawaii, uniting Americans from all socio-economic, political and ethnic backgrounds in prayer for our nation. It is estimated that over two million people attended more than 30,000 observances — organized by approximately 40,000 volunteers," the National Day of Prayer website continued.
"At state capitols, county court houses, on the steps of city halls, and in schools, businesses, churches and homes, people stopped their activities and gathered for prayer."
Nicole VanDyke is a reporter for The Christian Post.
