The National Day of Prayer is an annual observance held on the first Thursday of May, inviting people of all faiths to pray for the nation. It was created in 1952 by a joint resolution of the United States Congress and signed into law by President Harry S. Truman.
The theme of the 2019 National Day of Prayer is Pray for America – Love One Another, based upon John 13:34, which encourages us to, “Love one another. As I have loved you…so you must love one another.”
The following requests are from the National Day of Prayer website. Following these requests is a list of prayer points specifically developed to intercede for the U.S. Alliance church family.
National Day of Prayer Priorities
While Thursday, May 2, is our National Day of Prayer, we must be vigilant to pray for America consistently and even daily. These are the four major prayer priorities for America provided by the National Day of Prayer Task Force in the month of May.
Ask God To Bless The United States Of America
“Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord—the people He has chosen to be His own possession!” Psalm 33:12
- Ask God to forgive us as a nation for our sinful choices and ways, covering us with His Son’s blood, and extending blessing and favor upon the United States of America because of His great mercy.
- Ask God to bless America spiritually in a new and fresh way and move us to return to the Lord our God.
- Ask God to bless America by raising up godly leaders in all areas of our nation: locally, regionally, statewide, and nationally.
- Ask God to bless America economically so that all people in our nation will be blessed and so we can be a blessing to the entire world.
- Ask God to bless America by securing our nation from all evil and harm from within our nation and from outside our nation.
Pray For Americans To Love One Another, Beginning Among Christ Followers
“Love one another. Just as I have loved you…” John 13:34
- The present anger, division, and broken relationships in America are calling us to pray for and take all necessary actions to remember God’s love for us so we will love one another.
- God is the only One who can bring unity, harmony, and oneness in America; therefore, we look only to Him in prayer, asking for this love to prevail.
- Call upon God to create a major Love One Another movement across America and empower us to make every effort to live in unity with one another, call for unity, and continually forward unity in America.
Pray For The Centers Of Influence In America
“First of all, then, I urge that petitions, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for everyone, for kings and all those who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity.” 1 Timothy 2:1-2
- Pray for the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of the United States government to value one another, respect one another, and work together for the good of our nation.
- Pray for America’s military, its leaders, and all personnel to be protected by God, and for the courage to depend upon God.
- Pray for the members of our media in America to be respectful of all people, bearing truth, and inspiring our nation with stories about loving one another.
- Pray for America’s businesses to have leaders of integrity, be creators of economic blessing, and givers to the community.
- Pray for America’s centers of education to create a culture of respect and love for one another.
- Pray for the churches of America to model and be examples of love for another, inspiring a Love One Another movement to occur.
- Pray for the families in America to return to the biblical model, creating families that practice forgiveness and love.
Ask God For The National Day Of Prayer On Thursday, May 2, To Become A Catalytic Spiritual Movement Across America
“They all were continually united in prayer.” Acts 1:14
- Lord, we ask You to call your church to love one another, so Your church can call our nation to love and unity on the National Day of Prayer and in the future.
- Lord, we ask You to move each of us to love one another in the same way you love us: willfully, sacrificially, and unconditionally.
- Lord, we ask You to empower our National Day of Prayer volunteers across America, who will lead and serve in thousands of observances on Thursday, May 2.
- Lord, we ask You to use and anoint Dr. Ronnie Floyd, the President of the National Day of Prayer Task Force, as he provides leadership the entire week; but, most importantly the National Observance of the National Day of Prayer in historic Statuary Hall in the U.S. Capitol Building in Washington, DC, on Thursday, May 2, at 7:30 p.m. EDT.
- Lord, we ask You to give Dr. Floyd the exact words needed for every media interview related to the National Day of Prayer.
- Lord, we ask You to use the thousands upon thousands of observances of the National Day of Prayer to be a catalytic spiritual movement across America, ushering in the revival of the church and the next Great Spiritual Awakening in America.
PRAY FOR THE U.S. ALLIANCE
As we join together to observe the National Day of Prayer, let’s remember to pray for the U.S. Alliance family—that we would earnestly seek the Holy Spirit’s guidance and empowerment to make Jesus’ love known to lost, overlooked, and hurting people in our own country and throughout the world.
Pray for Your Local Alliance Church
God intends every local church to be a world-impacting congregation. This does not depend on the size of the congregation but on the size of our God.
- Heart for Missions (Matthew 28:18–20)
Pray that God will give your church a heart for the nations—that the members of your church will be involved in missions by praying, giving, going, and sending. - Evangelistic Impact (Acts 2:46–47)
Pray that God will ignite an evangelistic fervor within your church and that Christians will be personal witnesses of Jesus Christ, carrying out the Great Commission. - Spirit of Unity (Psalm 133:1)
Pray that God will strengthen the bonds between believers in your church as they see Him at work in their midst. - Fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22–23)
Pray that God will make the fruit of the Spirit evident in your church Body, yielding spiritual growth. - Thanksgiving (Psalm 100:4)
Pray that God will create a spirit of thanksgiving in your church—that an attitude of gratitude will be actively demonstrated to the church staff, those who work with children and youth, volunteers, and lay leaders. - Ministries (James 1:27)
Pray that God will continue to infuse His Spirit into the ministries of your church—outreach, women’s and men’s ministries, youth and children’s programs, care for the hurting and needy, worship, and missions. - Leadership (Proverbs 9:10)
Pray that God will grant wisdom and direction to your pastor, elders, governing board, and church staff, that they will have a clear vision of God’s will for your church.
Pray for the Greater U.S. Alliance Church FAMILY
Local churches consist of Christians who share a belief in Jesus, His message, and His call on their lives. They care for each other as a community of believers. The Holy Spirit calls some to go as missionaries, some as church planters, and some as workers where missionaries can’t go.
A church with a vision for a lost world is close to the heart of God. And the followers of Jesus, living in community, can’t help but tell others about Him. This is part of making “disciples of all nations.” It begins with reaching out with the love of Christ to our community of neighbors and extending our reach into the world. It is through the Church that the gospel will be proclaimed in our communities and around the world.
- Clear Witness (John 14:6)
Pray that our churches will maintain a clear witness to the uniqueness of Christ in the midst of religious pluralism, urbanization, postmodernism,
and relativism. - Centrality of Scripture (Psalm 119:11)
Pray that our churches will remain true to the centrality of Scripture and not be influenced by prevailing culture, philosophies, and religions. - Involved Congregations (Romans 12:4–6)
Pray that our church families will actively use their gifts for effective ministry and the building-up of the church Body. - Christlike Leadership (1 Timothy 3:1–7)
Pray that our pastors, elders, and lay leaders will model holy living, evangelism, and a heart for the lost. - Spiritual Depth (1 Peter 5:1–3)
Pray that church leaders will motivate their congregations to pursue a deeper life in Christ. Spiritual maturity is essential to being an effective witness for Christ. - Victorious Optimism (Romans 8:37)
Pray that Alliance believers will not be timid in response to Satan’s attacks, but that they will continue to proclaim the gospel message with boldness and passion. - Engaged Youth (Luke 18:16)
Today’s young people are often lost to the Church and turn their backs on their Christian upbringing because of a growing generation gap and the pressures of society. Pray that our youth will be evangelized afresh and will be on fire for Christ. - Revival (Acts 2:1–4)
Pray that God will bring authentic, life-changing revival to our churches. - Missionary Vision (Matthew 24:14)
Pray for the awakening and growth of a missions heart among our churches. Pray that they will adopt an Acts 1:8 mindset in response to God’s Great Commission.
Pray for U.S. Alliance Pastors and Workers
Those who are called to shepherd God’s flock are commissioned to be servants of the Church. Through the surges and strains of church life, pastors need to know they are supported by the prayers of God’s people. Consistent intercessory prayer releases the Lord’s empowerment in the life of the pastor, strengthening and enabling him to persevere in the ministry to which God has called him.
- Families
Pray that pastors will invest in their families, setting aside intentional times of meaningful interaction and recreation. Pray that God will guard and strengthen their marriages. - Prayer Life
Pray that God will give pastors an ongoing desire to pray with faith and discernment. Pray that God will provide many opportunities for pastors to enter into praying relationships with other pastors, church leaders, and laypeople. - Holy Living
Pray that pastors will pursue holiness in all aspects of life and ministry. Pray that they will not give in to temptation. Pray for purity of body and mind. - Priorities
Pray that God will give pastors wisdom as they prioritize the precious minutes in the day, discern what is most important, and guard against the tyranny of the urgent. - Confidence in the Lord
Pray that God will bind the fear of failure and the desire for approval from others. Pray that confidence in the Lord will increase through study of Scriptures. - Overcoming Stress and Conflict
Pray that criticisms and inordinate expectations will be cast aside; that stress and fatigue will be overcome; and that rumors and gossip will be dispelled. - Boldness
Pray that God will give pastors the boldness to confront sin and disunity in the church. - Focus on the Cross
Pray that pride will not enter into a pastor’s ministry. Pray that pastors will glory only in the cross. - Spirit-filled Preaching
Pray that pastors will preach God’s Word in the power of the Holy Spirit. Pray that their sermon-preparation time will be rich and anointed. - Reproducing Fruit
Pray that God will bless pastors with lasting, reproducing fruit—that converts will become disciples who in turn disciple others.
Pray for Alliance District and Association Leaders
These leaders are “pastors to the pastors,” shepherding encouraging church leaders through challenging situations and the twists and turns of church ministry.
- Vision
Pray that leaders will seek and receive a clear vision from God for the churches, communities, and leaders entrusted to their care. - Discernment and Judgement
Pray that the Holy Spirit would provide wise counsel as leaders seek his ongoing infilling and empowerment. - Church Health and Growth
Pray for the development of effective, Spirit-inspired strategies that will grow healthy churches that will bear great fruit for Christ’s Kingdom. - Spiritual Vitality
Pray that district and association leaders remain spiritually vibrant and inspire churches and church leaders to live and serve with spiritual vitality. - Pastoral Counsel
Pray the district and association leaders will seek and receive continual discernment in shepherding those under their care through transition, crisis, and other adversity. - Crisis Management/Conflict Resolution
Pray for God’s guidance when disasters and crises arise that impact churches and communities or when conflicts arise within churches.
Watch the National Day of Prayer Livestream
The National Observance will begin at 7:30 p.m. ET and conclude at 9:30 p.m. ET on Thursday, May 2, 2019.