From Our Dear Friends at National Day of Prayer!!!
Friend —
Our country observes MLK Day each year to honor the Civil Rights leader Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King. This year, ministry friends at Civil Righteousness are issuing a call to prayer on MLK Day as a way to honor and continue Dr. King’s Spirit-led ministry.
Individuals, groups, and churches around the country are invited to host their own Pray on MLK event where people will pause and ponder at places of pain in their city, pray for the Lord’s restoration and press into hard conversations with people outside their normal circle.
The Lord planted this idea in Jonathan Tremaine Thomas’s heart last summer as our nation grappled with a resurgence of civil rights concerns.
“What if we seize this moment to really go low before the Lord and have a day of prayer related to the healing of our brokenness into the country, to allow God to confront the things in us that do not align with heaven’s perspective on how we love one another and how we love God,” said Thomas, the founder of Civil Righteousness. “Ultimately, I believe the justice issues and the race conversations have to do with our revelation of Jesus and our ability to express Him in the culture.”
After a similar call to prayer in August, the Holy Spirit continued to press Thomas forward to see believers united in prayer and host compassion-driven critical conversations.
Local Pray On MLK organizers in each state are planning events to allow for Covid and weather-related challenges. Participants will be sharing in the same prayer guide at events across the country. Though weather, distancing measures and locations will be different, organizers are encouraged to include one or more of the following elements in their prayer event:
The Wall: A silent prayer vigil meant to transform an “altar of pain,” a place of historic division or tragedy in a community, into an altar of prayer. Intercessors will place a piece of tape over their mouth or mask with a word written on it to summarize the prayers they are lifting up.
The Rally: A time of public worship and testimony to move believers into faithful proclamations of God’s glory and power.
The Table: A gathering of people from all walks of life to journey through a short conversation discussing different perspectives, lived experiences and the way the Holy Spirit is transforming each of us.
“Dr. King said, ‘I have a dream where one day the sons of slaves and former slave owners will sit together at the table of brotherhood,’ but yet, we have not built the table to actually come and sit with those who look differently than us, who vote differently than us, whose experiences are different than us. And we the Church, we have to do that,” Thomas said.
Civil Righteousness will also be steaming a national event from 7-8:30 p.m. ET the evening of MLK Day at www.prayonmlk.org. The livestream will feature worship, prayer and encouragement for believers to use MLK Day as a time of prayer and Spirit-led reflection that leads to Spirit-led transformation.
“God never desired only to raise up one man that would be revered,” Thomas said. “He actually desired not just to raise up a Dr. King, but to raise up a family of kings and priests, and we are that family; we are the stewards of the ministry of reconciliation.”
Connect to your local gathering and find out more about how to Pray on MLK at www.prayonmlk.org
If you attend a gathering, let us know! Reply to this email to share a moment where you saw God’s glory!
Upcoming Events
Make sure to join us tonight at 8 pm ET for our first Thursday, Pray for America Prayer Call!
About the National Day of Prayer
The National Day of Prayer tradition predates the founding of the United States of America, evidenced by the Continental Congress’ proclamation in 1775 setting aside a day of prayer. In 1952, Congress established an annual day of prayer and, in 1988, that law was amended, designating the National Day of Prayer as the first Thursday in May.
To learn more, or to find a National Day of Prayer event in your community, visit www.NationalDayofPrayer.org.
