National Day of Prayer, 2009

Proclamation 8374 of May 7, 2009

National Day of Prayer, 2009

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

Throughout our Nation's history, Americans have come
together in moments of great challenge and uncertainty
to humble themselves in prayer. In 1775, as the
Continental Congress began the task of forging a new
Nation, colonists were asked to observe a day of quiet
humiliation and prayer. Almost a century later, as the
flames of the Civil War burned from north to south,
President Lincoln and the Congress once again asked the
American people to pray as the fate of their Nation
hung in the balance.

It is in that spirit of unity and reflection that we
once again designate the first Thursday in May as the
National Day of Prayer. Let us remember those who came
before us, and let us each give thanks for the courage
and compassion shown by so many in this country and
around the world.

On this day of unity and prayer, let us also honor the
service and sacrifice of the men and women of the
United States Armed Forces. We celebrate their
commitment to uphold our highest ideals, and we
recognize that it is because of them that we continue
to live in a Nation where people of all faiths can
worship or not worship according to the dictates of
their conscience.

Let us also use this day to come together in a moment
of peace and goodwill. Our world grows smaller by the
day, and our varied beliefs can bring us together to
feed the hungry and comfort the afflicted; to make
peace where there is strife; and to lift up those who
have fallen on hard times. As we observe this day of
prayer, we remember the one law that binds all great
religions together: the Golden Rule, and its call to
love one another; to understand one another; and to
treat with dignity and respect those with whom we share
a brief moment on this Earth.

The Congress, by Public Law 100-307, as amended, has
called on the President to issue each year a
proclamation designating the first Thursday in May as a
``National Day of Prayer.''

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the
United States of America, do hereby proclaim May 7,
2009, as a National Day of Prayer. I call upon
Americans to pray in thanksgiving for our freedoms and
blessings and to ask for God's continued guidance,
grace, and protection for this land that we love.

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