Prayer--
the first line of defense

By Sheila Graham

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colorado--"We could see the Great Lakes, the Arctic Circle, the white of the snow, the brown of the land, the blue of the oceans. Everything else was black," Brig. Gen. Charles Duke said. "As the writer of the book of Job noted, the earth really is suspended on nothing."

Gen. Duke was describing how the earth looked as he spacewalked during the Apollo 16 mission to the moon. While speaking at the National Day of Prayer Coordinators Conference here Jan. 19 to 21, Gen. Duke also admitted he was the astronaut who exposed the Apollo 13 crew to the measles.

Duke believes in prayer. "There's power in prayer--power to heal, power to save, power to deliver," he said. "There's nothing too small or too big for God."

The theme of the 1996 National Day of Prayer is "Honor God." The 45th consecutive observance on May 2 is not a small thing. Last year, representatives of all 50 states and the governors of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands joined President Bill Clinton in signing proclamations to pray for the country.

Representing the Worldwide Church of God at the conference were Paul Butler, Ronald Kelly, Sheila Graham, David Smith, and Jim Turner.

Mr. Kelly met Shirley Dobson, chairman of the National Day of Prayer Task Force, and Jerry Homme, California state coordinator. He was impressed with the enthusiastic dedication of the NDP staff. "These people are sacrificing multiple hours of their personal time encouraging Americans to pray, because they love this country and they believe in answered prayer," Mr. Kelly said.

National Day of Prayer Ideas

• Decorate the outside of your home with red, white and blue streamers, balloons and American flags during National Day of Prayer (NDP) week.
• Have a family devotional time to talk about stories from the Bible where prayer changed people's lives. For example, memorize 1 Timothy 2:1 with your children and discuss the importance of praying for our country and its leaders.
• Create a prayer calendar with your children that builds up to the National Day of Prayer.
• Make place mats to use during the week leading up to the National Day of Prayer. Children can draw pictures of Bible characters or patriotic themes. Write favorite scriptures on the place mats to help children memorize them. Cover with wipeable, clear plastic so they can be used several times. Share with friends and family.
• Find out if your community is having a National Day of Prayer observance and organize a family outing around the event. Invite another family to join you for a picnic.
• Visit a nursing home with your family. Spend time praying with the residents, interceding for our nation and its leaders.
• Teach older children the names of their elected officials and the offices they hold. Emphasize the vast responsibilities these officials carry and their special need for prayer.
• Help the kids and their friends decorate their bikes or skateboards in red, white and blue. Have a parade up and down your street. After the parade, invite all participants into your backyard for prayers and ice cream.
• Have a neighborhood family potluck. Decorate in red, white and blue. Ask your guests to wear red, white or blue outfits and bring food in those colors or on red, white and blue plates. Give each family a topic to lead the group in prayer after dinner.

(Adapted from the 1996 National Day of Prayer Resource Kit)

For more information, write the National Day of Prayer Task Force, P.O. Box 15616, Colorado Springs, Colorado 80935-5616, or call 1-800-444-8828. Their fax number is 1-719-548-4520. Their website is www.nationaldayofprayer.org

Copyright © 1966 Worldwide Church of God