Hope Station, churches hosting National Day of Prayer service

Apr. 29—People of all faiths will join together and pray Thursday in observance of the 73rd National Day of Prayer.

In Palestine, there will be a community prayer hosted by Hope Station and more than 25 local churches at noon Thursday in Reagan Park, 709 Crockett Road.

Lucas Sheeley, with Hope Station, said a group of pastoral leaders in Palestine are joining together to lead the hour-long prayer service under the main pavilion.

"Ours will be a come-and-go type of event," Sheeley said. "We don't really have an agenda, we just have some prayer emphasis we will focus on."

Sheeley said Subs and Dogs is providing sandwiches for lunch on a first-come, first-served basis.

The event is open to the public.

This annual observance is put together by a National Day of Prayer Task Force that chooses a themed verse. The 2024 theme is "Lift Up The Word — Light Up The World."

This year's verse is 2 Samuel 22:29-31, "For you are my lamp, O Lord, and my God lightens my darkness. For by You I can run against a troop, and by my God I can leap over a wall. This God — his way is perfect; the word of the Lord proves true; He is my shield for all those who take refuge in Him."

On the National Day of Prayer, the task force encourages everyone to pray for centers of national influence that include the three branches of government, the military, the media, business, education, the church and families.

The first national call for prayer was made in 1775 when the Continental Congress asked the colonies to pray for wisdom in forming a nation. President Harry Truman signed a bill declaring the observance for the National Day of Prayer in 1952. Every President since then has signed a national Day of Prayer proclamation.

Observances will be held in Washington, D.C., at state capitols, county courthouses, city halls, and in schools, businesses, churches and homes.