The 58th Annual National Day of Prayer (NDP) will be held May 6th at 7 p.m. at Brighthouse Field in Clearwater. In cities all around the country, people will gather to pray to God for the healing our great nation and the well-being of those that lead it.

Yes, PRAY.

Prayer has always been used in this country for guidance, protection and strength--even before we were a nation or a handful of colonies. The Pilgrims at Plymouth relied on prayer during their first and darkest winter.

In 1775, the Continental Congress designated a time for prayer to ask God's intercession in forming a new nation. In our founding fathers' eyes, our recently-created nation and freedoms were a direct gift from God. And being a gift from God, there was only one way to insure protection--through prayer.

In 1863, President Abraham Lincoln officially called for prayer in the midst of a crisis that was dividing our nation. It was his belief that, "it is the duty of nations as well as men, to owe their dependence upon the overruling power of God."

As American troops stormed the beaches of Normandy in 1944, President Franklin Roosevelt called for our nation to unite in prayer. He also offered a prayer to prepare each citizen for the road ahead. "Let our hearts be stout, to wait out the long travail, to bear sorrows that may come, to impart our courage unto our sons wheresoever they may be. And, O Lord, give us faith. Give us faith in Thee."

In 1952 President Harry S. Truman officially established an annual event by an act of Congress, and the National Day of Prayer was signed into law.

President Ronald Reagan amended the law in 1988, designating the first Thursday of May each year as the official NDP.

Historically, the most visible gathering of the NDP is held at our nation's Capitol in Washington, D.C. The executive, legislative and judicial branches of government have been represented, along with the military. Unfortunately, this American tradition is yet another that Mr. Obama has chosen to 'opt out' of.

Mrs. Shirley Dobson, NDP chairman, reminds us: "We have lost many of our freedoms in America because we have been asleep. I feel if we do not become involved and support the annual National Day of Prayer, we could end up forfeiting this freedom, too." How prophetic of her -- just today (April 15) a federal judge in Wisconsin ruled the NDP unconstitutional, saying the government "cannot call for religious action". Please join us to pray for our nation, while we are still allowed to do so!