The White House issued a presidential message marking the National Day of Prayer, observed on May 7 this year, calling on Americans to recommit to the country’s “enduring tradition of prayer, faith, and trust in Almighty God.”
“As we celebrate 250 glorious years of American independence, we pledge to never forget the countless blessings God has bestowed upon our people and our country,” the message stated.
Noting that the “entire Western experience has been connected by a golden thread of devotion to God,” the White House tied the day’s observance to America’s founding.
“America’s faith was seen most prominently during our struggle for independence,” it said, “when the Second Continental Congress declared a day of ‘humiliation, fasting, and prayer’ to seek God’s providence and ask for His protection and blessing in their fight for freedom, virtue, and posterity.”
The Declaration of Independence was signed weeks later, on July 4, 1776, the message said, paving “the way for freedom’s ultimate victory five years later at Yorktown.” The White House said this same religious inheritance has shaped major moments in American history, including westward expansion, the preservation of the Union during the Civil War, the abolition of slavery, two world wars, the defeat of communism, the moon landing, and the continued advancement of “truth, beauty, and goodness in our culture every single day.”
“Today, faith in God is resurging on American shores like never before,” the White House said. “Throughout this historic year, we rejoice in the triumph of the American spirit and in the love and grace of Almighty God.”
The White House also pointed to an upcoming May 17 gathering on the National Mall, where it said thousands of Americans would come together in prayer “just as our Founders” did and “rededicate the United States as One Nation Under God.”
The message encouraged Americans to observe the National Day of Prayer through ceremonies, events, and programs in houses of worship, workplaces, schools, and homes.
“Above all,” the White House concluded, “we pledge that America will always, as it is written in Psalm 96, ‘Tell His glory among the nations’ — and that we will never forget God’s role in creating, protecting, and sustaining the freest, strongest, most prosperous, and greatest country the world has ever known.”
The annual observance was established in 1952 when former President Harry Truman signed a joint resolution of Congress into law, requiring the president each year to proclaim a suitable day as a National Day of Prayer, on which people may “turn to God in prayer and meditation at churches, in groups, and as individuals.” Former President Ronald Reagan signed a 1988 law fixing the date as the first Thursday in May.