National Day of Prayer, 2006

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Title 3--
The President

Proclamation 8012 of May 3, 2006

National Day of Prayer, 2006

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

Throughout our Nation's history, our citizens have
prayed and come together before God to offer Him
gratitude, reflect on His will, seek His aid, and
respond to His grace. On this National Day of Prayer,
we thank God for His many blessings and His care of our
country.

God has greatly blessed the American people, and in
1789, George Washington proclaimed: ``It is the duty of
all nations to acknowledge the Providence of Almighty
God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits,
and to humbly implore His protection and favor.''
Americans remain a prayerful and thankful people. We
pray for the safety of our troops as they carry out
dangerous missions with courage and compassion, and we
remember the strength and sacrifice of their families.
We pray for the good people of the Gulf Coast region as
they work to rebuild their communities after the
devastating hurricanes of 2005, and we thank God for
the volunteers who have opened their hearts to help
their neighbors in a time of need. We pray for the
protection of innocent lives and for the expansion of
peace and liberty throughout the world.

Through prayer, our faith is strengthened, our hearts
are humbled, and our lives are transformed. May our
Nation always have the humility to trust in the
goodness of God's plans.

The Congress, by Public Law 100-307, as amended, has
called on our Nation to reaffirm the role of prayer in
our culture and to respect the freedom of religion by
recognizing each year a ``National Day of Prayer.''

NOW, THEREFORE, I, GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the
United States of America, do hereby proclaim May 4,
2006, as a National Day of Prayer. I ask the citizens
of our Nation to give thanks, each according to his or
her own faith, for the freedoms and blessings we have
received and for God's continued guidance and
protection. I urge all Americans to join in observing
this day with appropriate programs, ceremonies, and
activities.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this
third day of May, in the year of our Lord two thousand
six, and of the Independence of the United States of
America the two hundred and thirtieth.

(Presidential Sig.)B