Today has been designated as the National Day of Prayer. This is the 57th annual observance of a national day of prayer. The theme for this year is “Prayer, America’s Strength and Shield.” The theme is based on Psalm 28:7, “The Lord is my strength and shield. My heart trusts in Him and I am helped.”

Our nation desperately needs to call upon the name of the Lord in every area of our life and culture. We do a lot of talking about prayer but we need to become a people of prayer starting with each one of us.

Tonight in our sanctuary we are having a service to observe this national day of prayer. This will be a time where we pray that God will help us recognize the need to be prayer warriors for our nation.

This does not begin with a day that has been designated by the president. It begins with an emphasis on the importance of our own life, the lives of our family, our church, and our nation.

Tonight is a great way to make a clear statement of where you stand as a believer in a number of ways.

First, we realize the importance of our own walk with God and how we are to be salt and light.

Secondly, we lift up those that are most important to us, our families.

Thirdly, we recognize the importance of the work of the church of Jesus Christ in touching the world.

And finally, we as a nation would have the Lord as our strength and shield.

It is going to be a great service. All of us should make it a priority. We cannot expect the Lord to work unless we are willing for Him to begin with us. It will be a time of great prayer, music, and celebration. I encourage you to be there and invite someone to be with you.