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57th Annual National Day of Prayer
Loudoun Awakening Brings
57th National Day of Prayer
Prayer America's Strength and Shield
By Pastor Gary Smith and Kim Bonner
The 57th Annual National Day of Prayer will take place Thursday,-May 1, 2008 in two central locations in Leesburg and Ashburn, VA. The Leesburg observance will take place in the Board of Supervisors Room, 1 Harrison Street, Leesburg, VA at 12 noon until 1pm. The Ashburn observance will take place at Capital Community Church, 20430 Ashburn Village Blvd, Ashburn, VA from 7:30-8:30 p.m. The theme for this year is "Prayer America's Strength and Shield" and is based on the verse from Psalm 28:7 which states: "The Lord is my strength and shield; my heart trusts in Him and I am helped."
The National Day of Prayer is an annual observance held on the first Thursday of May, inviting people of all faiths to pray for the nation. It was created in 1952 by a joint resolution of the United States Congress, and signed into law by President Harry S. Truman. This observance was established to communicate with every individual the need for personal repentance and prayer, understanding that this country was birthed in prayer and in reverence for the God of the Bible.
Prayer has always been used in this country for guidance, protection and strength-even before we were a nation or a handful of colonies. The Pilgrims at Plymouth relied on prayer during their first and darkest winter. Our founding fathers also called for prayer during the Constitutional Congress. In their eyes, our recently created nation and freedoms were a direct gift from God. And being a gift from God, there was only one way to insure protection-through prayer.
President Abraham Lincoln knew this well. It was his belief that, "it is the duty of nations as well as men, to owe their dependence upon the overruling power of God." When it came to the fate of the nation, he practiced what he preached. Before the battle of Gettysburg, he turned to God in prayer. "I went to my room one day and I locked the door and got down on my knees before Almighty God and prayed to him mightily for victory at Gettysburg."
Today the need for prayer is as great as ever. Our nation again faces many battlefields, along with an epidemic of broken homes, violence, immorality and social strife. As the heroes of our nation did in the past, we must again bow our heads in prayer. We must ask the Lord to bless our leaders with wisdom and protection, and that we will have the fortitude to overcome the challenges at hand. If the Pilgrims, Founding Fathers and Lincoln never underestimated the power of prayer, neither should we.
It is our goal that you, your family and friends would participate in the National Day of Prayer. We pray that the event impacts your life, and that praying for our nation moves from a one-day event to a lifetime endeavor. So join us on the first Thursday in May and pray with conviction that God would continue to shed His grace on thee. People with other theological and philosophical views are, of course, free to organize and participate in activities that are consistent with their own beliefs. This diversity is what Congress intended when it designated the Day of Prayer, not that every faith and creed would be homogenized, but that all who sought to pray for this nation would be encouraged to do so in any way you deem appropriate.
Dr. Ravi Zacharias will help lead this nation in prayer as the 2008 Honorary Chairman of the National Day of Prayer. More than 35,000 prayer gatherings will be conducted by approximately 40,000 volunteers across the country. Several million people are expected to participate in this call to prayer for our nation, its leaders and citizens. We are challenged to pray to ask for God’s continued help, guidance and protection from the forces of evil by:
First repent for the personal and corporate sins that grieve our Heavenly Father. 2 Chronicles 7:14 "If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves and pray, and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land."
Secondly we must ask that God raise up righteous leaders, who will seek His guidance and protection for our nation in the years to come. Ephesians 4:1-2 "Live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love."
Finally we must submit to God's sovereignty, trusting in His will. Proverbs 3:5-6 "Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths."We encourage all people to attend and be a part of history as we seek our creator’s grace and blessings.
For more information about the National Day of Prayer events, please visit the website www.loudounawakening.org
Note: Pastor Gary Smith is Director of the National Day of Prayer – Leesburg, Pastor of the Leesburg Church of the Nazarene and has pastored in Tennessee, Florida, Iowa, Texas and Virginia during the past 35 years. He is a native Tennessean and graduated from Trevecca Nazarene University, Southern Nazarene University and doctoral studies at Master's Seminary. He taught in public schools for 4 years and was an assistant principle for 2 years before entering into ministry. He and his wife Susan have been married for 38 years and have two children, a daughter, and a pediatric nurse in Colorado and son who is a senior at Liberty University. Prayer ministry has been a "hallmark" of Pastor Smith’s ministry in all the churches he has pastored and he desires to see the Body of Christ come together in united prayer to see God move in our communities and around the world. You may reach Pastor Smith via email at gsn4him@netzero.net.
Kimberly Bonner is the Director of the National Day of Prayer – Ashburn and has lived in the DC Metropolitan area for 10 years and has been an active member of Capital Community Church (CCC) since 1999. Presently, Kimberly serves as the Prayer Coordinator for CCC. She is a graduate of the University of Virginia and the University Virginia School of Law. Ms. Bonner serves as the Executive Director of the Center for Intellectual Property. You may reach Kim Bonner via email at kbonner@capitalcommunity.org.
For more detailed information about specific events, please contact Beth LaRock, Community Prayer Watch, 703-777-6502 or via e-mail at info@communityprayerwatch.net, or Jack Stagman, 703-581-4390 or via e-mail at Jackstagman@comcast.net.
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