National Day of Prayer, 2010

Proclamation 8514 of April 30, 2010

National Day of Prayer, 2010

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

Throughout our history, whether in times of great joy
and thanksgiving, or in times of great challenge and
uncertainty, Americans have turned to prayer. In
prayer, we have expressed gratitude and humility,
sought guidance and forgiveness, and received
inspiration and assistance, both in good times and in
bad.

On this day, let us give thanks for the many blessings
God has bestowed upon our Nation. Let us rejoice for
the blessing of freedom both to believe and to live our
beliefs, and for the many other freedoms and
opportunities that bring us together as one Nation. Let
us ask for wisdom, compassion, and discernment of
justice as we address the great challenges of our time.

We are blessed to live in a Nation that counts freedom
of conscience and free exercise of religion among its
most fundamental principles, thereby ensuring that all
people of goodwill may hold and practice their beliefs
according to the dictates of their consciences. Prayer
has been a sustaining way for many Americans of diverse
faiths to express their most cherished beliefs, and
thus we have long deemed it fitting and proper to
publicly recognize the importance of prayer on this day
across the Nation.

Let us remember in our thoughts and prayers those
suffering from natural disasters in Haiti, Chile, and
elsewhere, and the people from those countries and from
around the world who have worked tirelessly and
selflessly to render aid. Let us pray for the families
of the West Virginia miners, and the people of Poland
who so recently and unexpectedly lost many of their
beloved leaders. Let us pray for the safety and success
of those who have left home to serve in our Armed
Forces, putting their lives at risk in order to make
the world a safer place. As we remember them, let us
not forget their families and the substantial
sacrifices that they make every day. Let us remember
the unsung heroes who struggle to build their
communities, raise their families, and help their
neighbors, for they are the wellspring of our
greatness. Finally, let us remember in our thoughts and
prayers those people everywhere who join us in the
aspiration for a world that is just, peaceful, free,
and respectful of the dignity of every human being.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the
United States of America, by virtue of the authority
vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United
States of America, do hereby proclaim May 6, 2010, as a
National Day of Prayer. I call upon the citizens of our
Nation to pray, or otherwise give thanks, in accordance
with their own faiths and consciences, for our many
freedoms and blessings, and I invite all people of
faith to join me in asking for God's continued
guidance, grace, and protection as we meet the
challenges before us.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this
thirtieth day of April, in the year of our Lord two
thousand ten, and of the Independence of the United
States of America the two hundred and thirty-fourth.