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The first Thursday in May is the annual National Day of Prayer. Pastors from several Carter County churches will pray for our nation, state, and county, which in the past has included an annual service at the Carter County Courthouse at noon. This year’s service could not be confirmed as of Tuesday. Last year’s service was held on the courthouse steps.
One local church, Union Hill Free Will Baptist Church, has a monthly prayer service on the courthouse lawn.
And if ever our nation, state and country needed a national day of prayer, it is now.
And of course, a great chunk of this country will not participate, claiming the day of prayer is a violation of the separation of church and state – and there will be those who oppose the day on those grounds, even if the founders never intended it to have the freedom of religion cause in the Bill of Rights to mean freedom FROM religion.
But most Americans, whether they participate on site or not, should say a prayer for the country that has been like no other, but is on the brink of fracturing to the point where putting it back together will be an impossibility.
Let us pray for President Joe Biden, as we should have prayed for presidents of years past, both Democrat and Republican. Love him or loathe him, he is the leader of OUR country. And if we want to continue to be called the United States of America, we better start by getting united. Is that possible without a heavenly intervention? That will be left to be seen.
Let us pray for our state leaders, who now are at odds over gun rights. Let us pray for our state and the families at Covenant School in Nashville, where recently three students and three staff persons were gunned down. Let us hope that our lawmakers will see that it is not about being Republican or Democrat, but doing what is right for Tennessee families and our state.
Let us pray for our local leaders, since those decisions will have the most direct impact on all of our lives.
Let us pray for our law enforcement and first responders. Every time they go out on a call, there is a chance they will not be returning to their homes. It is that work that often goes overlooked, but should never go unappreciated. Let us pray for all of our upcoming high school and college graduates, for they are the future leaders who will be guiding our ship.
Let us pray for unity in a nation that has been divided into two letters – D and R. We really are ONE country, no matter our political leanings. So why can’t we act that way? There is so much in this country to be thankful for. But there is so much that needs to be healed, too.
So let us all bow our heads and say a few silent words to God, who reigneth over all so that we can reach the potential that has been provided to us. Everyone has the ability to make a difference in this world. Pray each and every one of us reaches that potential.