Vintage phone descending from the sky to a person's hand. By By tarapatta/stock.adobe.com.
In the summer of 1775, just a few months after the “shot heard round the world” signaled the start of the American Revolution, the Continental Congress met in Philadelphia to decide how their fledgling army would try to defeat the strongest military in the world. So, shortly after selecting George Washington to lead their forces, Congress chose to appeal to a different kind of strength as well.
The result was what we might call the first national day of prayer, a call for all of the Colonies to join together in “a Day of public Humiliation, Fasting and Prayer; that they may with united Hearts & Voice, unfeignedly confess their Sins before God, and supplicate the all wise and merciful disposer of events, to avert the Desolation and Calamities of an unnatural war.”
Since that time, thirty-six of our nation’s forty-seven presidents have proclaimed a National Day of Prayer as the need arose. However, the practice became more formalized in 1952 when President Truman signed a bill making it an annual event. President Reagan then designated the first Thursday in May for the yearly observance starting in 1988.
And, given the controversies, divisions, and general angst in our culture today, the timing could not be better for another call to join with believers around the country to pursue that same humility, confession, and supplication.
So, where should we start?
God listens to your heart
A great place to begin is nationaldayofprayer.org. The site includes links to help you find a local gathering of Christians with whom you can pray, digital tools for guided prayer, and a national prayer written by NDP Task Force President, Kathy Branzell. Our First15 ministry also offers guided prayers and devotionals on a number of topics.
When it comes to prayer, however, it’s crucial that we treat such resources more as guides than scripts. They can provide a helpful place to start, but if that time consists mainly of praying someone else’s words, then we’re limiting the degree to which God has room to speak some of his own. That’s why whenever Jesus taught about prayer, he emphasized the heart behind the words more than the words themselves.
In Matthew 6, for example, Christ began his instruction by warning us not to pray like the hypocrites, who “love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others” (Matthew 6:5). Later on in his ministry, he made a similar point with a parable about a pharisee and a tax collector, noting that only the tax collector’s prayer of genuine repentance and desire for communion with the Lord was effective (Luke 18:9–14).
If God leads you to utilize any of the resources available to help you enter a time of prayer today, then go forward with confidence. But just remember that there is nothing magical about the words you say. Instead, God looks at your heart, and when we pray, that is what he listens to the most.
So take some time to ensure your heart is right with the Lord before attempting to converse about anything else. And, once you have, make sure you continue to include him in the conversation.
Communication is key
While it may sound unnecessary to focus on making sure that God is involved in our prayers, the truth is that most of us are guilty of leaving him out from time to time. It’s (hopefully) not a conscious choice on our part, but it can be easy to treat the Lord as if he is the target of our prayers rather than a participant in them.
And while there are any number of people, places, and subjects for which we can pray today, the only way to know if you’re really praying about the right ones is to ask God. Fortunately, he stands ready to help when we do.
Paul, for example, describes how the Holy Spirit “helps us in our weakness,” and “intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words” (Romans 8:26). And the very nature of prayer as an ongoing conversation between us and the Lord reminds us that it’s not enough to rattle off some requests, say amen, and move on with our day (1 Thessalonians 5:17).
When God tore the veil that separated the Holy of Holies from the rest of the temple following Christ’s death (Matthew 27:51), he did so to make clear that he wants a personal relationship with us and the kind of communion that is only possible when we assign prayer the same level of importance as he does.
Again, that doesn’t mean regurgitating sacred-sounding words or acting as though God is ready to smite us if we say the wrong thing. But communication is key to every relationship we have, and that is just as true with God as it is with a spouse, friend, or family member. If we want to draw close to the Lord, then genuine prayer is essential. And it starts taking the time to hear his voice rather than just filling the space with your own.
How to hear God’s voice
Learning to listen when we pray is one of the most important aspects of communing with God. Unfortunately, it’s also the part of prayer that can feel most difficult. The truth is that few of us are comfortable with silence, and until you learn to recognize the Lord’s voice, that period of quiet can be difficult to endure without losing focus or seeking a distraction.
To further complicate matters, the way in which God chooses to speak tends to differ from person to person. For some, it may be an audible voice in your head. For others—and, I suspect, for most—it’s more of a presence or sense of peace when your thoughts begin to echo his.
If all that sounds strange, it’s alright. It makes sense that talking with God would be as unique as he is, but that fact doesn’t necessarily make it any easier. That’s our problem, though, not God’s. And Scripture is filled with examples of the Lord meeting people where they are.
He may show up through thoughts that seem as new to you as the people with whom you’re talking, a push in a particular direction when seeking his guidance, or a more overt manifestation of his presence in your life. No matter how it happens, the more time you spend in prayer and actively listening for the Lord’s voice to arrive in whatever way he chooses to speak, the easier it gets to recognize.
So, on this National Day of Prayer, be intentional about taking at least as much time to listen as you do to talk. Ask God to help you recognize his voice and to block out all others. Then continue to go through your day, open to his leading.
We serve an omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent God who exists beyond the confines of space and time. And he wants to talk with you.
Will you say yes?
Quote of the day:
“To be used of God. Is there anything more encouraging, more fulfilling? Perhaps not, but there is something more basic: to meet with God. To linger in His presence, to shut out the noise of the city and, in quietness, give Him the praise He deserves. Before we engage ourselves in His work, let’s meet Him in His Word…in prayer…in worship.” —Chuck Swindoll
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