May 3, 2001

Praying with an Objective on the National Day of  Prayer
by Carl S. Ey

"Now, I lay me down to sleep.  I pray the Lord my soul to keep."

This is a typical prayer offered by a young child that is calling upon God to provide him safety and comfort.  Most of us can still recite this prayer similarly to the way we can sing the "ABC Song" from Kindergarten.  Yet after we grasp the concept of praying, we diligently put into our  "religious closet," and leave it on a shelf until a time of dire need, crisis or for use at our church or synagogue.

Today is the National Day of Prayer (NDP) established as an "annual event by an act of Congress which encourages Americans to pray for our nation, its people and its leaders," according to the NDP web site.  It gave the nation a day to reflect on the act of praying, specifically to harness God's power to make our nation and its leaders stronger.

Although NDP is a good idea, it calls upon God-fearing men and women to do something on the first Thursday in May that we should be doing everyday.  As a matter of fact, The Holy Bible commands us to "Pray without ceasing." (I Thessalonians 5:17).

Perhaps the most powerful tool God gives us to conduct our lives in harmony with His will, it seems as if prayer is lost in the fact that many people have a limited idea of what it is and how to use it.

"Prayer is sincere communication with the God of the Bible," said Pastor Gary L. Jones, Pastor of Farmington Avenue Baptist Church.  "You can't do anything without God so if you are part of the family of God, He is your Father; use your own vocabulary and talk to him like you talk to your father."

As simple as Jones makes that sound, many Americans still aren't certain of what to ask for unless they have a burden that they cannot control with their fallible talents and skills.

Charles G. Finney has been called America's foremost evangelist that led America out of the Eighteenth Century according to Harvard University's Professor Perry Miller.  Finney penned a book titled "Principles of Prayer" that teaches how to pray.

"They fall down on their knees and pray for whatever floats through their imagination at the time.  A man must have some definite objective in mind," said Finney.  "All the instances of effectual prayer recorded in the Bible are focused on one thing.  Wherever you see that the blessing sought for in prayer was attained, you will find that the prayer offered was prayer for a particular objective."

Finney goes on throughout his 121-page book instructing men and women to pray within God's will.  Praying for a new car reduces Him to a genie in a bottle.

"To pray effectually, you must pray in submission to the will of God," said Finney.

The National Day of Prayer encourages Americans of all faiths to participate according to their own traditions.  It was established by the Continental Congress in 1775, called for again by President Lincoln in 1863 and made a law by President Truman in 1952.

This year, all 50 states will hold a variety of events ranging from prayer breakfasts to Bible reading marathons focusing on the theme from Psalms 33:12, "One Nation Under God."

The day will culminate in our nation's Capitol with representatives of the executive, judicial, legislative and military branches of the government speaking on the need for prayer for the country's leaders in the Caucus Room of the Cannon Office Building.  The keynote speaker will be Chuck Colson of Prison Fellowship.

National Prayer day "needs to be before the nation to realize there is such a thing as prayer," said Jones.  "Remember, don't just say the words, believe that you are praying to God."

© 2001 Carl S. Ey