We always love it when we here from Kathy Branzell of National Day of Prayer! 2023 is just around the corner!
Friend —
“Therefore I want the men in every place to pray, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and dissension.” 1 Timothy 2:8
Over the past months, the Lord has continued to challenge us to Exalt the Lord Who Has Established Us! Jeremiah 33:2-3 reads in the Amplified Bible, “Thus says the LORD who made the earth, the LORD who formed it to establish it–the LORD is His name, ‘Call to Me and I will answer you, and tell you [and even show you] great and mighty things, [things which have been confided and hidden], which you do not know and understand and cannot distinguish.” In other words, as we call to Him, we need to expect our Almighty, Supernatural God to answer and encourage us by telling us and showing us great, mighty, and miraculous things!
‘Call to Me and I will answer you’ is not just a promise for the prophet, but for US! It’s an invitation and expectation that we have because of WHO HE IS and WHAT HE HAS TOLD US! Do you ever find yourself questioning God? Do you sometimes find yourself thinking, “That’s impossible!” or “That will never happen!” Friend, be encouraged and expectant, because “The things that are impossible with people are possible with God.” All because we call to Him, all because we pray!
As you have called to Him, I pray that your faith has been strengthened, that you have been refreshed and reminded about how powerful, wonderful, mighty, and loving our God is! I pray that your hearts are encouraged, and you are experiencing new courage and wisdom as you pray then going out into the world each day, putting them into practice and expressing the mighty things that the Lord is doing!
Because we prayed… in May, our NDP national broadcast, through our partnerships with Pray.com, and Christian broadcasters like Daystar, GodTV, Revelation TV, Bott, Salem, Faith, Truth, K-LOVE and other national and local radio networks reached into over 200 countries around the world with a call to prayer and a clear presentation of the message of the Gospel – reaching nearly 110 million homes in the U.S. and over 600 million homes around the world!
Because we prayed… even after two years of national covid related shutdowns and imitations, tens of thousands of local National Day of Prayer events were held this year in every U.S. state and territory. Millions of people, mobilized by local volunteers, exalted the Lord and lifted up our nation in prayer with the expectation that God would show up and show us His ‘possible’.
Because we prayed… we have seen a victory in two of the Generational Wins that we have been contending for prayer along with our partners at Alliance Defending Freedom. In June, we saw one of these seemingly ‘impossible’ things come to pass, and we won a battle for the generations to come, as the Supreme Court ruled in favor of the sanctity and value of human life in the Dobbs case, and overturned Roe V. Wade. Throughout the decades as we have prayed to God, the Author of life, we have interceded for Him to protect the most innocent – the helpless heartbeats of the unborn – and He has answered our prayers. The second victory came in the case of Kennedy v. Bremerton School District, involving a high school coach who went to the 50-yard line to pray after every game for years. Sometimes his players joined voluntarily, until one parent complained. The Supreme Court has now decided that “separation of church and state does not prohibit public school employees from praying aloud on the job near students.” God heard our prayers, bringing a great victory for religious freedom and freedom of speech.
Because we prayed… we have the blessing of receiving ‘glory stories’ sharing how God is moving in people’s lives and throughout our nation. We are sent testimonies of lives having been forever changed by the Gospel, marriages and families being restored, addictions being overcome, diseases being healed, and new hope and faith entering into the lives of millions of people that we may never meet face to face… but they have benefitted, because we prayed.
Because we prayed… as you read this letter, we have just finished our National Leadership Summit in the ‘City of Brotherly Love’, Philadelphia. We gathered representatives from our 17,000 volunteer coordinators to pray and prepare for mobilizing prayer in their communities across America. These are ‘prayer missionaries’ serving in all 50 states, Washington D.C., the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico. They serve our neighbors and nation, living out a “Prayer, Care, Share” lifestyle that includes our Task Force mission of mobilizing unified, public prayer for America, especially on the first Thursday of May, but also every day. These NDP missionaries are often known as “the prayer people” in our churches, cities, and states. The people everyone calls on in times of tragedy, urgent situations, or need.
God is answering our prayers, and I hope that you can envision yourself as a key member of this vast army of prayer warriors — hands raised in praise and intercession but also open to receive as God responds to your prayers.
At our Summit, we revealed our 2023 National Day of Prayer theme, which is our unifying rally cry and challenge to our nation to pray. We want you to be one of the first to know! The 2023 theme is Pray Fervently In Righteousness and Avail Much, from the theme verse, “The effective, fervent prayers of a righteous man avails much” from James 5:16B. Please take a few minutes after you’ve read through this letter to focus on the theme and theme art, sharing the vision. Together we can mobilize millions more to call to Him in prayer in the coming months.
God has given us what seems to be an impossible assignment. But with God, all things are possible. Together we can transform our country and culture; it will take great commitment and generous support from our prayer partners to accomplish this. Together, our mission is not only to pray on the First Thursday of May, but to overfly in prayer every day along the way, in our homes, churches, neighborhoods, workplaces, schools, where we shop, play, workout, and hangout with friends –everywhere our footsteps fall.
Our voices are not meant to chime into the complaining and criticism that fills out culture but to change the tune and correct the conversation – because every person is fearfully and wonderfully created in Christ; His workmanship, deeply valuable, teeming with Kingdom dreams, plans, and potential, a life on mission for the God who loves us more than we can understand and who will never leave us nor forsake us. His pursues us and it is up to those of us who profess His Name to join the race and run after the hurting and hopeless with His love. The love of a Savior who offers abundant life with passion and purpose for all eternity. A Savior who answers us when we call to Him.
Friend, I have a question for you, but before I ask, I want to personally thank you for all that you do to make this year-round work of the National Day of Prayer Task Force possible. We are praying for you.
Because we prayed… and God’s people gave, millions received prayer, heard the Gospel, and have a renewed sense of hope for their lives. Shirley Dobson, our chairman for 25 years, was fond of reminding us that “Where God guides, God provides.” So, here is the very important question I’d like to ask — as God is guiding us not just to continue but to expand this crucial ministry to our nation, will you prayerfully consider continuing to be a part of God’s provision by partnering with us financially today?
If so, please consider a generous one-time gift today, or possibly an ongoing monthly donation of $100, $50, or even $25 to see missionaries trained, prayer lifted, the Gospel shared, Jesus’ love spread, lives changed, and our nation healed.
P.S. You can also text GIVE to 844-578-0204 to give your gift from your phone. Thank you for joining us in prayer!
UPCOMING MOVIES THAT WILL INSPIRE YOU
Our friends, Kirk Cameron and the Kendrick Brothers have a new movie coming to theaters in September! If you loved Fireproof, War Room, and other great movies from the Kendricks … check out LIFEMARK.
Lifemark continues to surprise critics with it’s box office success–in many theaters, show times have been extending to additional dates. Don’t miss out! Tickets now on sale. Lifemarkmovie.com/tickets.
Based on the book by Ken Blanchard and Wally Armstrong, THE MULLIGAN shares a moving and powerful parable, while weaving into the fabric of the story a gospel presentation from the one and only Pat Boone!
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.
