Friend —

How are you feeling about the course of our nation?  Will this upcoming election solve our problems and address our concerns?  No matter the political outcome, we must look forward with hope, embracing the truth represented in our national motto, that it is truly, “In God We Trust”.  Truly only the Lord can change the course of this nation, and we are thankful, that despite what we hear in the news, our great and faithful God is listening to the effective, fervent prayers of His people, and they are ‘availing much’!

At the National Day of Prayer Task Force, we realize that our mission of mobilizing prayer and encouraging personal repentance and righteousness in our culture, is more vital than ever.  As we have traveled throughout each of the 50 states, we can attest to the fact that the number of people praying for our nation is increasing.  There is a desperation driving this increase, fueled by the passion and activity of thousands of volunteer coordinators, men and women who care enough to be bold in our faith and bold in prayer, “for such a time as this.” Yet, we still have many gaps – places without leaders and without much coordinated prayer.

In July, our team, including our new Chairman, Anne Graham Lotz, traveled to our nation’s capital, to engage, equip, and encourage hundreds of these leaders at our National Prayer Summit, where:

• Anne spoke on the necessity of praying with clean hearts. Encouraging us, that together, we must convey truth into our culture with a genuine love for the spiritually lost and deceived.

• Dutch Sheets explained that God has established a historic covenant with our nation and that even when we aren’t faithful to it, He will keep His Word.

• Dave Butts, our Board Chairman challenged us, by laying out a strategic plan regarding how to pray for our wayward nation.

• We gathered at David’s Tent, on the national mall, for a Concert of Prayer for America.

• Partnered the American Center for Prayer and Revival, praying through sites such as the U.S. Capitol, the White House, the Supreme Court and nine other areas around the National Mall.

• Our teams joined with over 500 other Christian ministries, and several hundred thousand believers to serve and pray at Together 2016 in the shadow of the Washington Monument.

From D.C. we began our fourth, Pray for America Bus Tour, focusing on ‘Praying for Local, State, and National Government” and to Cleveland and Philadelphia, rallying prayer at the Republican and Democratic National Conventions. We were grateful for the opportunity to pray for hundreds of state delegates and elected leaders and to join the numerous local prayer efforts in both cities, praying the presence and peace of God.

You and I are blessed simply because we are citizens of the United States of America.  This is not because our nation is the only one God cares about, but because we have inherited a nation of divine birth set apart for His Holy purposes. In His Providence, He has seen fit to move the hearts of our governing leaders to establish His Presence in our public law, as the God in whom we trust, and the One that we are called by our President to cry out to on the first Thursday of each May. Prayer is not just a sacred responsibility, but a civic duty for those who follow Jesus.

Engaging, equipping, and encouraging prayer in America requires organizing, training, and resourcing thousands of leaders. Each year, gifts from friends like you, help us accomplish this critical mission! It also allows us to keep prayer ‘front and center’ in our culture, helping to insure that our religious freedoms will remain in tact for ‘ourselves and our posterity’.   A matching gift challenge has been established to enable this ministry to America to continue. Until the challenge amount is met, every donation that we receive will be matched dollar for dollar! Through this challenge, your gift to the National Day of Prayer will to twice as far!

May I ask you a sobering question? What will we leave behind for our children and grandchildren? If we don’t step forward, who will? Please prayerfully consider not only giving a generous gift, but also becoming a volunteer in your area. Most of all, please join us through the simple and powerful act of praying for America daily. And as you do, “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope” Romans 15:13.

With joy and peace in believing,

Lisa Crump

Chief Operating Officer