One of the greatest activities in which a person can participate is prayer. Far from being a dull or boring exercise, we should understand prayer for what it really is – an audience with God Himself! Perhaps you may not think of prayer in this way. Perhaps for you it is a tedious endeavor, but it shouldn’t be. The reality is, it is the greatest privilege and honor to be able to speak with the King of kings, Lord of lords, the Creator of the universe, the One True God.

Having a discourse with the God of the Universe can’t be described as anything less than astonishing! Only a select few have a direct number to the President of the United States, but in Christ, we all have an open line to Almighty God! Therefore, prayer is a solemn act. It is an exciting activity. And it is something in which we should engage every single day.

When Jesus taught His disciples how to pray in Matthew 6, He used the words, “When you pray.” Notice He did not say, “If you pray.” Prayer should be the foundation of a Christian’s life, because God desires a relationship with us and communication is an essential part of any relationship. Our relationship with God is no different in this respect. Prayer is absolutely essential for Christians. It is so essential in fact, that salvation itself depends upon it. The Apostle Paul says in Romans 10:13, “For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” The prerequisite for salvation is calling on the name of the Lord, i.e. praying!

Today, Thursday May 4^th is the National Day of Prayer. Are you as excited for it as I am? I hope so because believers all across America will be praying together, in complete unity, for our nation. Do you realize how incredible this is! Jesus said that if only 2 or 3 gather in His Name, He is there in their midst! He hears and enters into our gatherings!

And, Oh, our country needs prayer!

In the face of rampant immorality, increasing darkness, and seemingly endless bad news assaulting our eyes and ears daily, our greatest weapon is prayer! Jesus says “…In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). Since Jesus has overcome the tribulation of the world, we can take all of our troubles to Him, and rest in the fact that He hears us, cares about us, and is able to bring us victory and peace.

Friends, there is so much for us to pray for as Americans and Illinoisans. As much as you might feel righteous anger at the awful policies that are being passed by our legislature and Governor, we need to pray for them. We need to pray for their repentance and their salvation. We need to pray that they would do God’s will instead of their own. Do you not think this is possible? All things are possible with God! Proverbs 21:1 says, “The king’s heart is like channels of water in the hand of the LORD; He turns it wherever He wishes.” God can change the heart of the Governor, and we must want that, desire that, and pray for that.

When things get darker, we must not become more bitter, but more prayerful! Therefore PRAY for the new mayor of Chicago, and for all those in the city who are gripped by the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience. Pray for Governor JB Pritzker’s salvation. Pray for the salvation of the members of the Illinois General Assembly. Pray for President Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. Pray that God would turn their hearts like a channel of water toward His will and away from their own. Pray for the members of the U.S. Congress.

And dear reader, pray for true revival to come to our nation. WE NEED IT! Revival changed the course of our country in the 1730s-1740s and God can do it again! Revival cannot be conjured up from below, it can only come down from above. Therefore pray the the Holy Spirit would do His exhilarating work in the hearts and lives of the people in our towns, state, nation, and world! And pray on this National Day of Prayer, that Jesus Christ would hasten His Glorious Appearing! Come Lord Jesus! Amen.

Please Pray

• FOR THOSE IN AUTHORITY: Please pray for specific veteran political officials, some of whom have been newly installed in positions of leadership.
  • U.S. Senator Joe Manchin (D-West Virginia)
  • U.S. Senator Joni Ernst (R-Iowa)
  • U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-Illinois)
  • U.S. Representative Tom Emmer (R-St. Cloud, MN)
  • U.S. Representative Haley Stevens (D-Rochester Hills, MI)
  • State Senator Chris Belt (D-East St. Louis)
  • State Senator Andrew Chesney (R-Freeport)
  • State Representative Diane Blair-Sherlock (D-Villa Park)
  • State Representative Kevin Schmidt (R-Cahokia Heights)
  • YOUR Local Mayor and City/Town Council

Pray for the Sanctity of Life:

• ABORTION: Pray that the shedding of innocent blood would not increase despite President’s Biden’s plans to expand abortion both in the U.S. and other countries. Pray that the love of mothers love for their unborn children would overwhelm them and they would choose to give them life. Pray that the hearts of fathers would turn to their children and they would understand that children are a blessing from the Lord.

• THE CHURCH: Pray that church leaders would grasp the seriousness of the indoctrination taking place in government schools. Pray that their eyes would be opened to the teaching of godless ideologies and radical activism, resulting in a hatred for America, and parents being overwhelmed with worry. Pray that churches in Illinois would start their own schools. Pray that God would provide the necessary resources and personnel for these schools.

• PRC’s: Pray that pregnant mothers and fathers would seek help and counsel from pregnancy care centers to guide them and help them through an unexpected pregnancy. Pray that they would choose to do what’s right for their child and not what’s convenient for themselves. Pray for the women who are being manipulated and/or bullied into an abortion. Pray that they would see a way to escape the pressure to kill their baby.

• SIDEWALK EVANGELISTS: Pray for those brave men and women who stand in front of abortion mills in an attempt to speak to would be mothers and fathers about the sanctity of human life. This is demanding work that is often ridiculed and derided by adversaries. Pray for their safety. Pray for opportunities to engage with women who are considering abortion. Pray that counselors would have a sweet compassionate demeaner that is discernable to all. Pray for a softening of hearts of visitors to these abortuaries. Pray that abortion “escorts” are distracted or absent. Pray that visitors would turn away from these death clinics and to loving, welcoming pro-life alternatives.

Pray for Families:

• STUDENT WELFARE: Government schools are determined to instill godless radical ideologies into impressionable young children. Children are being sexualized beginning in kindergarten now that the “Responsible Education for Adolescent and Children’s Health” has become law. Children are already being taught positively about homosexuality and cross-sex impersonation. Now with new teaching standards being considered, Critical Race Theory, the 1619 Project and the infusion of BLM activism are being introduced in the classroom. Pray that God would make a way for parents to remove their children from these indoctrination camps.

• PARENTS & GRANDPARENTS: Pray that both parents and grandparents would pool resources and do whatever they can to provide a way for their children and grandchildren to escape the radical extremism in government schools to follow Proverbs 22:6: “Train up a child in the way he should go …”

• FAMILIES AS SALT AND LIGHT: Pray that families who profess to know Jesus would spend more time discipling their children and raising them to fear the Lord, which is the beginning of wisdom. Children are a blessing from God and our greatest treasure on earth. We must treat them as such.

Blessed is that man
who makes the Lord his trust,
And does not respect the proud,
nor such as turn aside to lies.

~Psalm 40:4~

This National Day of Prayer, May 7, 2020, will be like no other. Since its inception in May 1952, under President Harry S. Truman, the day has been observed with large public events. While the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in the shutdown of all public events, prayer has never been more essential and this important event will still take place – online.

Pastors from across the state told the Illinois Family Institute how important they feel it is to pray not only on the National Day of Prayer, but every day. Joey Krol, pastor of Galilee Baptist Church in Decatur shared, “One of the effective ways of measuring your spiritual walk is by examining how connected you are in prayer. Jesus said in John 15:5, ‘I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in Me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.’”

Krol urged during this pandemic, “Now is the time to be the Church. Now is the time to be on our knees. Now is the time to be a people of prayer. In this time of uncertainty, confusion and fear, let us be so connected to the Vine that when others see us, they will give their hearts to the Prince of Peace.”

Calvin Lindstrom, pastor of Church of Christian Liberty in Arlington Heights, pointed to the power of God. “So often we focus more on how feeble and inarticulate our words are rather than focusing on God’s mighty power,” Lindstrom said. “It is good that we know we have no power in our ourselves. It is good that we are humbled in the face of the problems we are facing. The power of prayer is that God has commanded His people to pray, and that nothing He determines to do can be frustrated.”

This National Day of Prayer comes at a perfect time as our nation faces a crisis like one not seen in generations. Sensing the urgency, Pastor Richard Giovannetti of Standing in the Word Ministries in Morris, told IFI, “With a desperate and hurting nation rapidly bleeding out her freedom, the words, ‘The Effectual Fervent Prayer of the Righteous Man Avails Much’ shout at us with critical urgency… ‘Is There Not A Cause?'”

Further calls for serious prayer came from Myles Holmes, pastor of REVIVE Church in Collinsville. “Seasons of national crisis call for Prophetic Prayer,” Holmes said. “Prophetic Prayer is intercession that calls for the purposes of God to be revealed so that His Kingdom will come and His Will is done. This includes help for His people, but is even more intent for His Glory to be revealed.”

David E. Smith, executive director of IFI, summed up why it is important we pray during this time. “We have a loving and merciful God of compassion who invites our prayers,” said Smith. “His Word tells us repeatedly to turn to Him in the midst of challenges and trials. We are encouraged to take shelter in Him as our refuge and our strength. He is our sure rock in the midst of any storm, the Light that pierces every darkness, and an anchor of hope for those who contend with despair. We should embrace every opportunity to bring our appeals before Him.”

Will Graham, an evangelist for the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and the grandson of the late Billy Graham, will co-host the live-stream along with the National Day of Prayer Task Force President Kathy Branzell from 7-9 p.m. central time. Guests include Harry Jackson, Nick Hall, Gabrielle Odom, Luis Palau, Michael W. Smith, Rick Warren, and others.

Watch the event online at NationalDayOfPrayer.org or at facebook.com/natlprayer. It will also be broadcast on television via GodTV and DayStar, in addition to radio over the Moody and Bott networks.

NOTE: The Illinois National Day of Prayer and Illinois Prayer Caucus Network have organized a conference call for Thursday at 11 AM – 12:15 PM. The call in number is (978) 990-5001 and the access code is 601577#. (They will be recording the call.)

This year’s theme is “Pray God’s Glory Across the Earth,” which is based on Habakkuk 2:14, “For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.”

Subscribe to the IFI YouTube channel
and never miss a video report or special program!

A spokesman for today’s National Day of Prayer tells more about the inspiration for this year’s event.  

Vice Chair John Bornschein points out that American troops are still in harm’s way, the economy is weak, and religious freedom is threatened. So Americans are gathering in solidarity to pray for those and other issues. The National Day of Prayer Task Force says it is critical to remain in prayer.

“The theme is ‘One Nation Under God,’ and we chose that because we felt it is very fitting to remind Americans that indeed we are a nation united under God, that by his hand of provision we have been blessed as a people as a direct result,” Bornschein explains. That theme is based off of Psalm 33:12, which says, “Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord.”

And he reports that the annual even really has its roots from 1775.

“Our founders knew that as they were laying the foundations of this nation that they had to remind Americans that we need to give bended knee to almighty God, that we do not have accumulative wisdom sufficient to navigate the challenges of our day, that we need God’s direction and guidance for all leaders within all centers of influence and power in America,” the vice chair asserts.

Since then, there have been about 900 proclamations asking Americans to intercede on their behalf. So Americans are encouraged to attend National Day of Prayer events around the nation. If that is not possible, however, Bornschein says they can pause for a few minutes wherever they are and pray for the country.

As part of the national effort, the Pulse Movement is conducting its own event. (Listen to audio report)

The Pulse Movement, a student-led initiative in response to the urgent needs facing young people, began at the University of North Dakota and has spread onward as a student-led evangelistic and prayer movement. Spokesman Nick Hall says the organization is presenting its second annual UNITE National Day of Prayer gathering tonight.

“Even in the ministry that we do, we always talk with students and say we’re either prayerful or prideful,” he accounts. “It’s so important to remain dependent on God and remember where our power comes from, where our hope comes from.”

According to Hall, a key part of the Pulse Movement is to bring the Body of Christ together in prayer and repentance, seeking God’s response and blessing. Tonight’s UNITE event will be streamed on the Internet.

“Basically, what has happened in our ministry and movement is the students kind of from the ground up have said we want to see multi-generational prayer happen — that God would move across our nation and that we would be able to partner old and young, young and old holding hands, coming to Christ, saying Jesus, we need you to move across denominational lines and across political lines,” the spokesman shares.

Anyone can participate online from 7:00-9:00 p.m. (Central).