Christians in various areas throughout the nation will be gathering on May 5 for the 65th annual National Day of Prayer. In Southern California, Korean American Christians will come together in Orange County for corporate intercession for the nation.
This year, the theme for the National Day of Prayer (NDOP) is 'Wake Up America,' and takes the first portion of Isaiah 58:1 as its theme verse: "Shout it aloud, do not hold back. Raise your voice like a trumpet." The verse in its entirety reads, "Shout it aloud, do not hold back. Raise your voice like a trumpet. Declare to my people their rebellion and to the house of Jacob their sins," the latter half which directly mentions sin and emphasizes the need for repentance.
At a press conference held on April 14th to spread the word to the Korean community, Korean church leaders said that America is facing a spiritual crisis and urged the community to repent and pray for the nation. Though the National Day of Prayer Taskforce -- the organizers of NDOP -- used only the first half of Isaiah 58:1 for the day's theme verse, the Korean church leaders used the full verse in introducing the theme of the event in its press releases and promotional materials.
The prayer gathering organized by the Korean church leaders will be taking place at 7:30 PM on May 5th at Grace Ministries International, and will be divided into worship and prayer portions, according to the press release. Some of the topics that will be prayed over include repentance and revival; schools and families; churches, culture, and social justice; the President, elected officials, and the upcoming election; revival in the younger generation, student organizations, and missions; and the leaders in South Korea, and reunification in Korea, among others. Four to five speakers will be leading each prayer topic.
As the event is hosted by Korean church organizations in the Orange County area, most of those who are leading prayers are pastors ministering in Orange County. Most of those who are leading prayers are also first generation Korean pastors, with only a few leaders who minister in the second-generation Korean American context such as Pastor Steve Choi from Crossway Community Church and Seong Joo Cho from SOON Movement. Only one woman is featured as one of the speakers at the event.
Elected officials from Southern California will also be prayed over during the event.
The National Day of Prayer was initially called for by President Lincoln in 1863 when he proclaimed a day of "humiliation, fasting, and prayer," according to the NDOP Taskforce, and officially began when President Harry Truman signed a joint resolution passed by Congress in 1952. Though the NDOP Taskforce was sued and the event was found unconstitutional in 2010, a decision by a circuit court of appeals reversed that decision in 2011. When President Obama also proclaimed a National Day of Prayer at the time when it was found unconstitutional, the status of the NDOP among the elected officials was also confirmed.
Gatherings of corporate prayer will be taking place in an estimated 42,000 different locations across the nation, and government officials in executive, legislative, and judicial branches will also be gathering at the Cannon House Office Building on Capitol Hill from 9 AM to 12 PM.
This article has been translated. For the original in Korean, visit kr.christianitydaily.com.
