Look: Trump Plans To Do 1 Thing On National Day Of Prayer Obama Did Not Do For 8 Years
President Donald Trump will do something this week that Barack Obama did not do in his entire eight years in office: host a National Day of Prayer event at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.
White House press secretary Sean Spicer confirmed earlier this week that Trump will be taking part in the annual observance on Thursday, May 4, as thousands of events are held nationwide.
While previous presidents including Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush held gatherings at the White House honoring the day, Obama did not, choosing instead to simply issue proclamations concerning the occasion.
The National Day of Prayer was established by law during the presidency of Harry S. Truman in 1952. The legislation called on the president to designate a day other than Sunday for the American people to gather in prayer for the nation.
In 1988, President Reagan signed an amendment to the law designating the first Thursday in May for the event.
The current chairperson of the National Day of Prayer is Anne Graham Lotz, daughter of evangelist Billy Graham. She took over the position last year from Shirley Dobson, who held the post for the previous 25 years.
The theme of this year’s event is “For Your Great Name’s Sake,” inspired by the biblical passages 2 Chronicles 7:14 and Daniel 9:19.
Organizers are focusing on three key thoughts from the passages: “hear us … forgive us … heal us …,” Lotz explains in the video below.
“All of us can agree that our nation needs healing, and God promises to do so, but on the condition that we pray humbly, seek his face and turn from our own sin,” she says.
Anne Graham NDP Invitation (1 minute version): https://t.co/RjKcntYKH1 via @YouTube
— Day of Prayer (@NationalPrayer) March 7, 2017
The Christian Broadcasting Network is reporting that President Trump plans to sign an executive order on Thursday, prior to taking part in the National Day of Prayer observance, affirming Americans’ rights to religious liberty in relation to the federal government.
Trump Ready to Sign Religious Freedom Order on National Day of Prayer https://t.co/iZ3gJqU2k3
— CBN News (@CBNNews) May 3, 2017
As reported by Western Journalism, Trump has a deep respect for the members of the clergy.
His spiritual adviser, Pastor Paula White, established an evangelical advisory board during his presidential campaign that has continued into his presidency and includes such prominent faith leaders as Focus on the Family founder James Dobson, Liberty University president Jerry Falwell Jr., Faith and Freedom Coalition founder Ralph Reed, Bishop Harry Jackson, Bishop Darrell Scott, Pastor Robert Morris, Pastor David Jeremiah, televangelist James Robison, and Pastors Kenneth and Gloria Copeland.
Trump told CBN’s David Brody shortly after taking office that he “always felt the need to pray.”
He added that the presidency is “so powerful that you need God even more, because your decisions are no longer ‘Gee, I’m going to build a building in New York.’ These are decisions of massive life and death.”
“There is almost not a decision that you make when you’re sitting in this position that isn’t really life-altering, so God comes into it even more so.”
You can find a location for a National Day of Prayer event happening near you here.
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Source: Western Journalism