President’s Remarks on National Day of Prayer

REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT ON THE NATIONAL DAY OF PRAYER

East Room

9:23 A.M. EDT

THE PRESIDENT: Good morning. And welcome to the White House. I’m honored to join you for this National Day of Prayer. I’m sorry Laura is
not here. She is camping in one of our national parks. (Laughter.) I appreciate the chairman — Chairwoman of the National Day of Prayer Task Force, Shirley Dobson. Thank you for your leadership on this important day. And I see you brought your husband, Jim. (Applause.)

The 2007 Honorary Chairman is with us, and that’s Chuck Swindoll. Thank you, Chuck, for being here, and I’m glad you brought Cynthia, as well. Welcome. I appreciate the members of the Cabinet who have joined. I appreciate the members of the Congress. Thank you all for being here.

And the Mayor — Mr. Mayor, thank you, sir. It’s good to see you. Thanks for joining us. It means a lot that you’re here. I appreciate Mayor Ron Rordam, Blacksburg, Virginia. Mr. Mayor, we’re honored you’re here. Thanks for bringing Mary. (Applause.)

Members of the United States military have joined us. Thanks for wearing the uniform. I appreciate those who are participating. Rabbi, thank you for your really kind remarks and strong statement. I am glad that one of my fellow Texans has made it. Mike, thanks for coming from Prestonwood Baptist Church, Dallas, Texas. And you married a woman named Laura. (Laughter.) Chaplain Houston Yu, Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets. Proud to have you here. (Applause.) Bishop Coles, thank you for bringing Leona. Proud you all are here, too. Thanks for joining us. Appreciate the United States Army Chorus. By the way, Sergeant First Class Alvy Powell, friend of Presidents 41, 42, and 43. (Laughter.) The man has got some longevity. (Laughter.)

As Shirley mentioned, since the days of our founding, our nation has
been called to prayer. That’s exactly what our first President did,
George Washington. "It’s the duty of all nations to acknowledge the
providence of Almighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful for his
benefits, and to humbly implore his protection and favor." It’s
interesting that the first President said those words.

For two centuries, Americans have answered this call to prayer. We’re
a prayerful nation. I believe that makes us a strong nation. Each
day, millions of our citizens approach our Maker. We pray as
congregations in churches and in synagogues, and mosques, and in
temples. We welcome people of all faiths into the United States of
America.

We pray as families, around the dinner table, and before we go to
sleep. We pray alone in silence and solitude, withdrawing from the
world to focus on the eternal, spending time in personal recollection
with our Creator.

We pray for many reasons. First, we pray to give thanks for the
blessings the Almighty has bestowed upon us. We pray to give thanks.
We give thanks for our freedom. We give thanks for the brave men and
women who risk their lives to defend it. We give thanks for our
families who love and support us. We give thanks for our plenty. We
give thanks for our nation.

Second, we pray for the strength to follow God’s will in our lives, and
for forgiveness when we fail to do so. Through prayer, each of us is
reminded that we are fallen creatures in need of mercy, and in seeking
the mercy and compassion of a loving God, we grow in mercy and
compassion ourselves.

We feel the tug at our souls to reach out to the poor, the elderly, the
stranger in distress. And by answering this call to care for our
brothers and sisters in need, our hearts grow larger and we enter into
a deeper relationship with God.

Third, we pray to acknowledge God’s sovereignty in our lives and our
complete dependence on Him. This is probably the toughest prayer of
all, particularly for those of us in politics. In the humility of
prayer we recognize the limits of human strength and human wisdom. We
seek the strength and wisdom that comes from above. We ask for the
grace to align our hearts with His, echoing the words of Scripture,
"Not my will, but thine be done." We ask the Almighty to remain near
to us and guide us in all we do, and when He is near we are ready for
all that may come to us.

Finally, we pray to offer petitions, because our Father in heaven knows
our cares and our needs. We trust in the promise of a loving God: Ask
and it shall be given to you; seek and ye shall find. Inspired by this
confidence we pray that the Almighty will pour out His blessings on
those we love. We ask His healing for those who suffer from illness,
for those who struggle in life. We ask His comfort for the victims
oftragedy, and that the injured may be healed and the fallen may find
comfort in the arms of their Creator. We implore His protection for
those who protect us here at home and in far away lands. We pray for
the day when His peace will reign in every nation and in every land
until the ends of the earth.

The greatest gift we can offer anyone is the gift of our prayers,
because our prayers have power beyond our imagining. The English poet
Tennyson wrote, "More things are wrought by prayer than this world
dreams of." Prayer has the power to change lives and to change the
course of history. So on this National Day of Prayer, let us seek the
Almighty with confidence and trust, because our Eternal Father inclines
his ear to the voice of his children, and answers our needs with love.

May God bless America. (Applause.)

END 9:30 A.M. EDT

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