Thursday, May 5, at Farmin Park in Downtown Sandpoint, we will be observing the National Day of Prayer. This day was established in 1952 by a joint resolution of the United States Congress, and signed into law by President Harry S. Truman.

Like Thanksgiving or Christmas, this day has become a national observance placed on all Hallmark calendars and observed annually across the nation and in Washington, D.C. Every year, local, state, and federal observances were held from sunrise in Maine to sunset in Hawaii, uniting Americans from all socio-economic, political and ethnic backgrounds in prayer for our nation. It is estimated that over two million people attended more than 30,000 observances — organized by approximately 40,000 volunteers. At state capitols, county courthouses, on the steps of city halls, and in schools, businesses, churches and homes, people stopped their activities and gathered for prayer.

We believe that God loves Bonner and Boundary counties and He has established this region for His love and purposes to come to every heart. We know that every year brings with it challenges personally, socially and economically, and we know that God is greater than all of these challenges. God has many promises about the power of prayer in the Bible and we can trust them.

In a response to Solomon’s prayers for the nation of Israel, God lets him know that there is a key to finding a reprieve from the circumstances and the consequences of the nation. That key was a certain kind of prayer. In 2 Chronicles 7:14 God tells Solomon, “… and My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” We want to see God bring healing to the land, and we know that He is a just and forgiving God.

We all acknowledge that we are to not only pray on one day but we are to live a lifestyle of prayer and intimacy with God. The reality of this world we live in requires that we consistently ask God to come and do things in and around our world, in our business, in our schools, in our families and with our neighbors that will draw them to God and reveal His love and goodness. One tool that has been adopted by the National Day of Prayer Task Force is to Adopt Your Street and to Adopt a Cop in prayer. You can enter your location and commit to pray at www.transfrormourworld.org. If you want to pray daily for your neighbors and you have an iPhone, you can download the Adopt Your Street App from the App Store and begin to show the world when you are praying.

We hope you can join hundreds of believers Thursday from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. as we call on God to move in our region.

Chris Bassett is the senior leader at Hidden Valley Worship Center. He can be reached at www.hvwc.com.