In observance of the 70th year of the National Day of Prayer (NDP) on May 6, Kathy Branzell (president of the NDP Task Force) announces the theme for 2021: “Lord, Pour Out Your Life, Love, and Liberty.”
“We are once again praying and proclaiming a promise of God in our theme verse,” says Branzell, “from 2 Corinthians 3:17: ‘Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty’” (NKJV).
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.
“We are richly blessed to have a law that has proclaimed a day of prayer for our nation each year since the first observance as the law was signed,” says Branzell. “Decades later, America still needs our prayers.”
The theme serves as a reminder to pray throughout 2021 that “the Spirit of the Lord [will] pour through us across America, to fill our lives, families, churches, workplace, education, military, government, arts, entertainment and media, with biblical—not cultural, not worldly—Spirit-empowered, Spirit-filled love, life, and liberty as designed and defined by our Creator and Savior.”
Last year’s NDP observance, normally originating from Washington, D.C., changed plans because of COVID restrictions in the nation’s capital.But a national broadcast drew more than 500,000 viewers online, along with a potential reach of 1.2 billion households through broadcasts around the world.In addition, social media platforms engaged 42 percent more people than 2019. More than 1.3 million people were engaged each month through the website, social media, and email.
Plans for 2021 include an observance on Capitol Hill and an evening prayer broadcast, possibly from the Museum of the Bible.In addition, more than 60,000 local and virtual community events will be held through the 50 states.To find an event near you or to learn more about the May 6 national observances, go to nationaldayofprayer.org.
