Presidential Message on National Day of Prayer

This National Day of Prayer, we honor America's enduring tradition of prayer, faith, and trust in Almighty God. And as we celebrate 250 glorious years of American independence, we pledge to never forget the countless blessings God has bestowed upon our people and our country.

From the cradles of civilization in the ancient world to the Christian empires of medieval Europe and the miraculous founding of our own Nation, the entire Western experience has been connected by a golden thread of devotion to God. America's faith was seen most prominently during our struggle for independence, when the Second Continental Congress declared a day of "humiliation, fasting, and prayer" to seek God's providence and ask for His protection and blessing in their fight for freedom, virtue, and posterity.

Just weeks later, armed with unshakable faith, the Colonies declared their independence from Great Britain on July 4, 1776, and paved the way for freedom's ultimate victory five years later at Yorktown. In the years since, this proud birthright of faith moved our Nation to expand the promise of independence to the furthest reaches of our continent; preserve our Union in the midst of a bloody Civil War; abolish slavery; win two world wars; defeat the evil forces of atheistic communism; plant our Flag on the Moon; and advance truth, beauty, and goodness in our culture every single day.

Today, faith in God is resurging on American shores like never before. Throughout this historic year, we rejoice in the triumph of the American spirit and in the love and grace of Almighty God. And just as our Founders came together in prayer before declaring independence, thousands of Americans will gather on Sunday, May 17, on the National Mall to rededicate the United States as One Nation Under God.

This National Day of Prayer, we proudly recommit to our magnificent birthright of faith. I encourage all Americans to come together today in prayer, reflecting on the many blessings God has given our Nation and asking for His continued protection, with ceremonies, events, and programs in their houses of worship and places of work, schools, and homes. Above all, we pledge that America will always, as it is written in Psalm 96, "Tell His glory among the nations"-and that we will never forget God's role in creating, protecting, and sustaining the freest, strongest, most prosperous, and greatest country the world has ever known.