Saturday, May 18, 2024
The Hood County Commissioners Court officially declared Thursday, May 2 a National Day of Prayer during a regularly scheduled meeting April 23.
According to the proclamation read by Precinct 1 Commissioner Kevin Andrews, America has faced trials and triumphs throughout history, and Americans have responded in prayer, seeking courage and comfort, inspiration, and joy-filled celebration as faith compels individuals to seek and cling to the light in times of darkness.
From the first gatherings of our founding fathers, elected officials have prayed and entreated those they serve and represent to join them in prayer — including the authors of the Declaration of Independence. According to the proclamation, the authors wrote that they, “the Representatives of the United States of America, in General Congress, assembled, appealing to the supreme judge of the world . . .” and carried on to present day in presidential proclamations such as last year’s invitation to “join him in asking for God’s continued guidance, mercy and protection.”
A National Day of Prayer was declared by the First Continental Congress in 1775, and is a public law established in the United States Congress in 1952. The law was approved by a joint resolution and amended by Congress and President Ronald Reagan with Public Law 100-307 in 1988, affirming that it is essential for us as a nation to pray. It also directed the former president of the United States to set aside and proclaim the first Thursday of May annually as The National Day of Prayer.
According to the proclamation, the observance of the National Day of Prayer will be held in every state across America Thursday, May 2, with the theme, “Lift Up the Word, Light Up the World,” based on the verses found in 2 Samuel 22:29-31, “For you are my lamp, O Lord, and my God lightens my darkness . . . This God — his way is perfect; the word of the Lord proves true; he is a shield for all those who take refuge in him.”
On the National Day of Prayer, neighbors come together to join their hearts and voices in reading sacred scriptures and attending services to seek God, as unified prayer becomes mobilized across America.
"We express our faith and exercise our freedom in prayer, then unite our hearts and voices in personal prayer and public gatherings across America with fervent praise, repentance, love and humble intercession for our neighbor and nation, holding fast to the promises throughout the Holy Scriptures that the Lord hears and avails much as he answers the faith-filled prayers of his people,” the proclamation reads.
Leading up to the National Day of Prayer is the Bible Reading Marathon that takes place from Friday, April 26 through Wednesday, May 1, in the gazebo located on the Hood County Courthouse grounds.
Hosted by the Lake Granbury Ministerial Alliance, the Bible Reading Marathon allows each individual a 15-minute timeslot to read a portion of scripture. They pick up where the previous person leaves off and will continue reading until their time is up.
According to the LGMA website, the first Bible Reading Marathon of Granbury was held in 2002. It takes about 85 hours to read through the Bible, so it’s broken into 336 15-minute segments. Signups are currently underway.
“Just from this morning, I have been impressed by the Lord to speak of the Bible Reading Marathon that is coming up,” LGMA Pastor Mike McMahon said during the open mic portion of the Hood County Commissioners Court meeting. “It's absolutely imperative that we have enough people to read through the Bible. There is nothing that can replace reading through the Bible. Did you all know that the crime rate drops in Hood County for that week? Did you know that people have been saved simply by reading their Bible up there? Did you know that husbands who have brought their wives up there to read and you invite them to read, and they say, ‘I don't do that; I can't do that,’ have left with tears in their eyes after they read and asking if they could come back and read again?
"If there's any reason that you cannot sign up and read the Bible Reading Marathon, don't tell me because I'm going to chew your ears off. You have no excuse. None of us in this room has an excuse for not signing up and reading from scripture. We have an expression of ‘It’s good for Hood.’ Well I'm going to tell you, this is superb, supernatural, dynamic and absolutely necessary for Hood County if we're going to continue as a group in unity and in harmony.”
For more information regarding the Bible Reading Marathon, visit granburyministries.org online.
