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The National Day of Prayer is today, Thursday, May 7, and though it is a thoroughly politicized event run out of Focus on the Family–read Dan Gilgoff’s USNews report on the maneuverings this year now that Barack Obama in the White House–on a higher level it causes us to think about prayer, and why and how often and who prays.
The Pew Forum has a graphic drawn from their mammoth Religious Landscape Survey that shows who prays at least once a day. Jehovah’s Witnesses are the chattiest, and Catholics, God bless us, are exactly “average,” as 58 percent of us pray at least once a day, same as the general population. Good? Or just not good enough?
The other factors of interest, though not surprise, are that the older and poorer you are, the more you pray. And of course women are far more observant. Let’s ask ourselves what these categories of the prayerful can tell us about prayer.
I also wonder how respondents would define prayer: A formal, habitual prayer, or the fleeting request in times of anxiety or gratitude of the sort that come to my mind and sometimes lips dozens of times a day?
posted May 7, 2009 at 1:40 pm
At this time, in our beloved country of America, we need prayer more than ever. We need to pray for our leaders, that they get right with God. I thoroughly believe that we are in the last days.
Our nation needs to go back to where it was started. Our country is full of sinners, that need to repent, and accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior.
posted May 7, 2009 at 3:24 pm
My quote for the day for National Prayer Day
Matthew 6:5-6 (New International Version)
“And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.”
I’m tired of hypocritical politicians using public prayer to claim that they have Jesus’s endorsement. You’d never get away with running around using Oprah’s name like that without her permission.
posted May 8, 2009 at 10:03 am
A National Day of Prayer is a wonderful opportunity for all of us to reach out to persons of every faith. Much of the conflict in our world comes from our unwillingness to accept that the same Truth could be translated to persons and groups in ways that are best suited for their understanding and use. How could we not believe that our Lord has provided for all of God’s flock? There is only one Truth. It is Love and it is reflected in countless ways throughout our blessed world.
light and blessings,
Essential Light
http://phaze.me/PRAYER_OF_THE_HEART