National Day of Prayer sees crowd come together to lift up community

May 2—Lift up the Word, light up the world.

That was the theme for 2024's National Day of Prayer gathering on the Pulaski County Judicial Center Plaza Thursday afternoon, as organized by Pastors for Transformation.

The National Day of Prayer is planned each year nationwide by an organization known as Focus on the Family. This is its 73rd year, although Pulaski has not been participating for more than a couple of decades.

Over 100 people came together on the plaza. Among that number were several public officials, including Pulaski County Judge-Executive Marshall Todd, Somerset Mayor Alan Keck, State Rep. Shane Baker, local judges Katie Slone and B.J. Hardy, Circuit Court Clerk Janice Smith, and multiple members of the Somerset City Council.

All of them were prayed for by Todd Meadows, pastor at Grace Baptist Church in Somerset, the first of several local clergymen to offer prayers for various segments of society during the event, which also featured vocal performances by Drea Burnett and the Somerset Christian School Worship Team.

"We thank you for those who serve us and we thank you for their care, their hard work, their sacrifice, and their commitment to our nation," prayed Meadows, with the officials in front of the plaza stage and a crowd gathered around them. "... We know that first and foremost, we are citizens of Heaven, and so God, I pray that their relationship with you would be the driving force that informs everything they do in their position."

He added, "We pray that you would guide them, Lord, as they make difficult decisions — not popular sometimes. We pray that they would make decisions not based on popularity, not based on what someone wants them to do, but God, what is right and what is true and what is good and pleasing to you and glorifying to you."

Isaiah Super, pastor of LIFE Church, prayed for the military, veterans and first responders, and said that "in the day and age we live in when some of these entities and organizations are coming under attack ... now more than ever we need to be thankful for them."

Prayed Super, "As they serve, I pray that you would watch over them, protect them, build a hedge about them. Lord, go behind them and before them, surround them, Lord, all around them. May your protection follow them everywhere that they go."

Yusef Franklin, pastor at South Maple Street First Baptist Church, prayed for families. Franklin said that "the devil is having a field day ... running to and fro, seeking whom he may devour, seeking to destroy families," and so Franklin prayed for God's protection over those building lives together in the community.

"We pray your protection over hurting families, those that are in dangerous situations," prayed Franklin. "We pray for those who are just going through difficulties of life, those who are dealing with pain and separation, those who are dealing with grief and troubled children. We pray, Lord God, that you will not only protect but provide."

Dustin York, pastor of Spirit of Truth Outreach Center, prayed for churches, noting that he wasn't talking about a building but rather all of God's children who serve the Lord and their communities.

"God, I pray that the church be what you called us to be, that we preach the truth but we have the kind of love that reaches out to people that just need you, Lord," prayed York. "I pray for every pastor, every deacon, every teacher, every leader, every worker, every person that you've called to make the church be what you've called it to be."

Curtis Sellers, pastor of Science Hill Church of the Nazarene, prayed for education, teachers, parents, students, administrators, school boards, and schools at all levels, and for their safety and protection along with guidance and other blessings.

"We pray for a financial increase in all areas where additional funding is needed," he prayed. "... We pray, Lord, for every child who struggles with learning and we ask you to make learning easy for them. We pray you would make the materials and lessons presented to them clear and concise. Lord, we ask for the joy of learning to be restored to students who are discouraged by their progress. ... We ask that you give every teacher the wisdom and foresight to recognize the needs and potential of each individual student.

"We pray for the emotional, physical, and mental well-being of all students and educational employees," he added. "... In this season, they are presented with an unusual set of circumstances, leaving so many of them disappointed and God, we ask that you simply make good out of a seemingly bad situation, that you would provide light in the middle of what seems to be dark, and hope in what appears to be hopeless."

Braxton King, pastor of First Christian Church of Somerset, prayed for nationwide revival, saying that wherever two or more are gathered together in God's name, "the I Am is there to manifest" among them, promising an answer when believers agree on something in God's will.

"God, we are praying right now that you would come and rain righteousness upon our nation," prayed King. "We pray for every lost man, woman, boy and girl in our nation and our region, that they would come to know you, that they would come to know who you are. It's not your will that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance, that the Lamb of God may receive the reward of his sufferings, that every person that's lost would come to know you, Jesus."

Pastor Gary Phelps, recently retired from Oak Hill Baptist Church, gave the introduction for the event as well as the closing remarks. He urged that believers gather not just for a National Day of Prayer, but every day to pray together.

"America needs men and women of God to be men and women of God today; they don't need us cowering behind in a corner somewhere. They need us standing tall and proclaiming the name of Jesus loudly," he said. "There's a lot of darkness in this country, I understand that, but the only way that darkness is going to change is through changed hearts, and the only way you can have changed hearts is one heart at a time when that person, that individual comes to Jesus."

The event's theme, "Lift Up the World, Light Up the World," is based on scripture from 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 a shield for all those who take refuge in Him."

Phelps was pleased with the turnout for the event; "I'd love to have all of Pulaski County here, but I know a lot of people can't come. I just love any of our city and county officials to show up and be here. (It was a) great crowd."

Judge-Executive Todd said that the National Day of Prayer meant "a tremendous amount" to the community, to have so many people come together to lift up this area and its citizens and leaders.

"We need all the help we can get," said Todd. "... It's great to have an event like this to pull the community together."