National Day of Prayer, 1998

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Title 3--
The President

Proclamation 7088 of April 29, 1998

National Day of Prayer, 1998

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

In every era of American history, devout men and women
from every nation have come to our shores seeking the
freedom to worship according to their own conscience.
Recognizing the sacredness of this fundamental human
right, our founders wisely guaranteed it in the First
Amendment to the Constitution.

Prayer has always been an integral part of American
life. In every city, town, and rural community across
our country, people of every religious denomination
gather to worship according to their faith. In
churches, synagogues, temples, and mosques, Americans
come together to pray. We pray for the health and
happiness of loved ones; for inner peace and peace
among nations; and for the wisdom and courage to face
the challenges of the new millennium. And always we
raise our voices and hearts in prayers of thanksgiving
for the blessing of freedom.

Just as Americans rely on prayer for strength and
renewal in private life, so do we turn to it at moments
of great joy or crisis in our public life as a Nation.
Meeting in Philadelphia to make the momentous decisions
that would ultimately determine the nature and form of
American Government, the Continental Congress began
daily deliberations with a prayer for God's blessings
and assistance. In his first inaugural address,
President George Washington also prayed for guidance
from the Almighty as he began the enormous task of
leading a new, untried democracy.

In this century, with America in the throes of the
Great Depression and a world teetering on the brink of
war, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt concluded his
first inaugural address with a fervent prayer: ``In
this dedication of a Nation we humbly ask the blessing
of God. May He protect each and every one of us. May He
guide me in the days to come.'' And today, as we look
ahead to the promise of a new century, Americans
continue to draw strength from the bedrock of faith and
religious freedom upon which our democracy rests.

The Congress, by Public Law 100-307, has called on our
citizens to reaffirm the role of prayer in our society
and to honor the religious diversity our freedom
permits by recognizing annually a ``National Day of
Prayer.''

NOW, THEREFORE, I, WILLIAM J. CLINTON, President of the
United States of America, do hereby proclaim May 7,
1998, as a National Day of Prayer. I encourage the
citizens of this great Nation to pray, each in his or
her own manner, seeking strength from God to face the
problems of today, requesting guidance for the
uncertainties of tomorrow, and giving thanks for the
rich blessings that our country has enjoyed throughout
our history.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this
twenty-ninth day of April, in the year of our Lord
nineteen hundred and ninety-eight, and of the
Independence of the United States of America the two
hundred and twenty-second.