Next week our nation will celebrate the 58th annual National Day of Prayer. On Thursday, May 7, people in every state and county in the United States will gather in public places and on government property to ask God for his protection and blessing for what is known as the seven centers of power. These powers include businesses, churches, the educational system, families, government leaders, the media and the military.

Many people in our nation have taken our freedoms for granted and as a nation we have failed to seek God’s favor. I personally believe that is why we are experiencing so many problems in America.

The theme for the National Day of Prayer is “Prayer… America’s Hope” and it comes from Psalm 33:22 “May your unfailing love rest upon us, O Lord, even as we put our hope in you.”

Now as never before in our nation’s history we need God’s unfailing love to rest upon us, but we need to, as a people, put our hope in God first.

When was the last time you offered a prayer to God? If you are like many people, you only pray as a last resort. We have a tendency to call out to God when we get ourselves in a bind, when disaster strikes or when we finally realize that a problem is bigger than we can handle by ourselves.

The National Day of Prayer is a time to rekindle our relationship with the Almighty God. It is amazing to me to think that thousands of people will be asking for God’s blessings on one special day in so many places across the nation.

From my own personal experience I know that God is eager to hear from His people. He longs for us to seek Him and the Bible tells us that God will be found by those who seek Him.

A national observance will be held in Washington D. C. from 9 a.m. to noon and will be televised around the globe in more than 22 nations on GodTV it will also be webcast on www.nationaldayofprayer.org.

In our area there are observances planned in Clermont County beginning at 8 a.m. in Milford throughout the day ending at 8 p.m. in New Richmond. I will include a detailed listing at the end of this column for those looking for a place to join their voice in prayer.

I am one of the coordinators for the observance in Brown County and I speak from experience when I say that God’s Spirit fills the street in front of the courthouse as we read the entire Bible in 15 minutes during the evening.

If you have never attended a National Day of Prayer observance, I urge you to do so. If you doubt that God answers prayer, just wait until after the May 7 and you will see His intervention in events across our nation. He will honor our faithfulness and our obedience by responding in some amazing ways.

The event in Brown County kicks off with prayer around the flagpole at the administration building, there will be a canopy set up on the courthouse lawn in Georgetown throughout the day and everyone is invited to stop and pray. In the evening we will be serving soup and bread at Georgetown United Methodist Church beginning 5:30 p.m. with a program on the steps of the courthouse beginning 6:30 p.m. The evening program will start at 7 p.m. and prayers will be offered for each of the seven centers of power. The simultaneous Bible reading will begin about 8 p.m. with a chorus of voices speaking God’s own words over the county seat. It is a powerful time of praise and worship to the God of the universe who cared enough for each one of us to die for us. The blood of Jesus is what gives us the ability to come before God’s throne and ask for His mercy and blessing.

I hope to see you in Georgetown on May 7.

This is the prayer that will be prayed throughout the day in every location – if you can’t make it to one of these locations, please pray this prayer at home.

Father in Heaven,

We lift our eyes toward Your throne, where You reign in righteousness.

Your word assures us that when Your people cry out in sincerity and humility, You will never turn a deaf ear to us. We call upon You now, seeking your forgiveness and favor. Look over this fevered landscape and heal us, Lord.

Drop knees to the floor and raise eyes to the sky, for we know where our help comes from.

Unite these states again in devotion to You, and blur every dividing line. Do not give us over to our sins. Give us, instead, over to passionate prayer that moves Your heart. May your unfailing love rest upon us, O Lord, even as we put our hope in You.

In the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Amen

Clermont County National Day of Prayer events: