National Prayer Breakfast

Quote:  "No one's relationship with Christ will ever rise above the level of his or her praying." --Dr. Gregory R. Frizzell

 

NATIONAL PRAYER BREAKFAST (Thursday, February 6th.)

 

    "Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any people"  (Proverbs 14:34). "Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD," (Psalm 33:12). "If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land" (2 Chronicles 7:14). 

 

Let's join our hearts together in prayer for our nation's leaders as they come together for the National Prayer Breakfast.  Perhaps your church would like to organize a special prayer emphasis that would coincide with this event.  The following is taken from an e-mail message from Your Praying Missionary to Washington, DC.  Rev. Rob Schenck.

 

Next Thursday—as on every first Thursday in February—the National Prayer Breakfast will take place here in Washington, DC.  This is an event the President of the United States attends, usually with the First Lady, and joins with members of Congress from both parties in giving thanks to God for the blessings enjoyed by our country.  I've attended many times over the twenty years I've been a missionary to our nation's leaders, watching as Presidents Clinton, Bush, and now Obama, bow their heads in reverence as prayers are offered by religious and political figures, politicians, celebrities, and sometimes unknowns.

I thought you might be interested in a little background to the National Prayer Breakfast: It actually began far from Washington, DC, in Seattle, to be exact.  It was 1935 and that great northwest city was in crisis—trying to manage its growing number of poor.  A Methodist minister named Abraham Vereide, who had founded Goodwill Industries, called for prayer meetings to take place around the metropolitan Seattle area.  Soon other cities did the same, and in 1946, Vereide organized the first annual prayer breakfast in Washington, DC.  President Dwight Eisenhower attended in 1953 and every sitting president has participated since.  I've worked with the event's organizers over the years.

In spite of its many critics, the National Prayer Breakfast movement has had a major impact on many U.S. and world leaders.  It continues to be dominated by what Methodist founder John Wesley called, "Bible Christians," and has provided a worldwide platform to powerful voices like Mother Teresa, Eric Mataxas, and the remarkable Dr. Ben Carson.  You can watch the National Prayer breakfast live on C-SPAN. And, of course, you can pray with your Faith and Action team as we pray behind the scenes for all those you'll watch on the stage!

 

Love, Jerry & Dotse