National Day of Prayer 2022

The National Day of Prayer was signed into law in 1952 by President Harry Truman. President Ronald Reagan amended it to take place on the first Thursday of May. So, in case you are wondering about what to pray for and why, reading his proclamation will help you understand. I hope you will read it through and take some personal time to pray alone, as well as with your friends and family.

Proclamation 2978—National Day of Prayer, 1952
By the President of the United States of America

Whereas from the earliest days of our history our people have been accustomed to turn to Almighty God for help and guidance; and

Whereas in times of national crisis when we are striving to strengthen the foundations of peace and security we stand in special need of divine support; and
Whereas the Congress, by a joint resolution approved on April 17, 1952 (66 Stat. 64), has provided that the President “shall set aside and proclaim a suitable day each year, other than a Sunday, as a National Day of Prayer, on which the people of the United States may turn to God in prayer and meditation”; and
Whereas I deem it fitting that this Day of Prayer coincide with the anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence, which published to the world this Nation’s “firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence”:
Now, Therefore, I, Harry S. Truman, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim Friday, July 4, 1952, as a National Day of Prayer, on which all of us, in our churches, in our homes, and in our hearts, may beseech God to grant us wisdom to know the course which we should follow, and strength and patience to pursue that course steadfastly. May we also give thanks to Him for His constant watchfulness over us in every hour of national prosperity and national peril.

In Witness Whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the Seal of the United States of America to be affixed.
Done at the City of Washington this 17th day of June in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and fifty-two, and of the Independence of the United States of America the one hundred and seventy-sixth.

Signed
Harry Truman

Below are some possible prayers you might offer.

That Almighty God would grant…

…that more and more people in our nation will turn to Him for salvation, help and guidance like they did in the past.
…that our nation would seek God’s wisdom above mans, in the face of our economic crisis and the social confusion.
…that those who are gaining power through deception will be exposed and that truth will stand out.
…us strength and patience to stand for and follow the course of righteousness. That we will live for Jesus and shine as lights in a dark world.
…us to have thankful hearts and appreciation for His constant watchfulness over us as a nation and as individuals.