Here’s the latest from the crossroads of faith, media & culture: 05/04/23

Pray.com, the No. 1 app for prayer and faith-based audio and video streaming content, is broadcasting the annual National Day of Prayer livestream today (May 4th) at 8:00 PM ET. This year’s theme is centered around the Scripture found in James 5:16:  Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.

The event will be co-hosted by National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference President Rev. Samuel Rodriguez and National Day of Prayer Task Force President Kathy Branzell. Other participants include Pray.com co-founders Steve Gatena and Matthew Potter, Olympic gold medalist Madeline Manning Mims, Senate Chaplain Barry Black, Congressman Tony Hall, Gateway Church Pastor Robert Morris, evangelist Nick Hall and singer-songwriter Lecrae, among many others.

•  Talking about the event Prayer.com CEO Steve Gatena says “We are honored to partner with so many faithful Americans. It’s a joy to lead millions gathered across the country to lift our nation in prayer…This is such an important day, recognized by Presidential Proclamation, to come together as a people who pray, while recognizing our help comes from God.”

Prayer.com co-founder Matthew Potter adds “We each have a role to play in bringing our divided country back together as ‘one nation under God,’ and National Day of Prayer is a great opportunity to unite in prayer for one another and our leadership.”

Specific areas that will be prayed for include government, military, education, families, churches, businesses and racial unity.

This is Pray.com’s fourth year to be a part of the National Day of Prayer, first hosting its own livestream events and now partnering with the official National Day of Prayer Task Force. The event will be broadcast from The Museum of the Bible in Washington, D.C. In addition to being live streamed on Pray.com, it will be carried on multiple other radio and television networks.

IMHO: None of us are perfect and our country isn’t perfect but it’s time to stop pointing fingers, stop looking backward in judgement and to come together in prayer that, going forward, we will all make better personal and societal choices. Let us let go of the shame and the anger and embrace what The Bible calls the Fruit of the Spirit which includes the qualities of love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Flowing from those I would add such attributes as a sense of balance (too far right or too far left and we’re apt to take a fall), boundaries (for ourselves and others), courage, forgiveness (for the failures of ourselves and others), gratitude (for the blessings we’ve already received and believe are coming), positive purpose, perseverance and the self confidence that comes from trusting not just in the existence of God but in His goodness and positive plan for our lives.

And, once we’ve prayed for ourselves and our own country, let us pray for the world too – because we’re all in this thing called life together. BTW, from personal experience, prayer works.

John W. Kennedy is a writer, producer and media development consultant specializing in television and movie projects that uphold positive timeless values, including trust in God.