I don’t know how many of you have a hobby, or a particular activity that you like to do regularly. For some, the really dedicated, the word so often associated with high levels of commitment to an activity, is “religiously” as in, “I work out at the gym religiously” or “painting is my religion”. What a curious way to describe a commitment to an activity. If working out, painting, playing music, or sports, working at our vocations or anything but formal religious observance can be described as “religious” what could one activity be that would be described as normative activities for religion? Clearly, one of them is praying. Prayer is so universally understood to be an activity of the religiously observant, regardless of how broadly defined the religion may be, or how broadly defined the observance levels may be. As a Rabbi, I think that’s a good thing.

So I am particularly puzzled and challenged each year, when confronted with the first Thursday in May, this year it falls on May 2nd, which is designated by Congress as the National Day of Prayer. What is the National Day of Prayer and when did it start?

In 1952, evangelist Billy Graham led a six week religious campaign in Washington, D.C., holding events in the National Guard Armory and on the Capitol steps. The campaign culminated in a speech in which Graham called for a national day of prayer. He said, “Ladies and gentlemen, our Nation was founded upon God, religion and the church . . . .What a thrilling, glorious thing it would be to see the leaders of our country today kneeling before Almighty God in prayer. What a thrill would sweep this country. What renewed hope and courage would grip the Americans at this hour of peril.. .We have dropped our pilot, the Lord Jesus Christ, and are sailing blindly on without divine chart or compass, hoping somehow to find our desired haven. We have certain leaders who are rank materialists; they do not recognize God nor care for Him; they spend their time in one round of parties after another. The Capital City of our Nation can have a great spiritual awakening; thousands coming to Jesus Christ, but certain leaders have not lifted an eyebrow, nor raised a finger, nor showed the slightest bit of concern. Ladies and gentlemen, I warn you, if this state of affairs continues, the end of the course is national shipwreck and ruin.”

After Graham’s speech, Representative Percy Priest introduced a bill to establish a National Day of Prayer. In addressing the House of Representatives, he noted that the country had been “challenged yesterday by the suggestion made on the east steps of the Capitol by Billy Graham that the Congress call on the President for the proclamation of a day of prayer.” In support of the bill, Representative Brooks stated that “the national interest would be much better served if we turn aside for a full day of prayer for spiritual help and guidance from the Almighty during these troublous times. I hope that all denominations, Catholics, Jewish and Protestants, will join us in this day of prayer.” On April 17, 1952, Congress passed Public Law 82- 324 which states: “The President shall set aside and proclaim a suitable day each year, other than a Sunday, as a National Day of Prayer, on which the people of the United States may turn to God in prayer and meditation at churches, in groups, and as individuals.”

On May 5, 1988, Congress approved Public Law 100-307, “setting aside the first Thursday in May as the date on which the National Day of Prayer is celebrated.” On May 9, 1988, President Ronald Reagan signed the bill into law. The current version of the statute reads, “The President shall issue each year a proclamation designating the first Thursday in May as a National Day of Prayer on which the people of the United States may turn to God in prayer and meditation at churches, in groups, and as individuals.
Presidents since Eisenhower have declared a day as National Prayer Day. President Reagan declared the first Thursday in May as National Prayer Day and President Obama declared May 7th as National Prayer Day. Interestingly, last year, President Obama did not host any event on that day, although he did make a formal proclamation, ostensibly concerned that our leader, in declaring such a day, might be construed as preferring one religion over the other. As Rabbi Bard Hirschfield notes, “On the other hand, it’s a shame that we are so polarized on this issue that the President cannot host an event which is entirely consistent with both his personal practice and that of the vast majority of our nation’s citizens. Not to mention that prayer, if not religion, is vital to the long-term health of any community.

No society has cultivated long-term success without nurturing in its members the ability to reflect and meditate on the most important issues of the day. And no society has maintained its strength without cultivating its citizens’ capacity for gratitude. Those two issues are what prayer is all about. And God need not be a part of that for all Americans, even if it is for most of us. Perhaps the anxiety around this issue tells us more about who we are as a nation than it does about prayer.

In Hebrew, the word for praying is a reflexive verb. It defines an internal conversation that one has with one’s self. To be sure, God has been a part of that conversation for most of those who pray. But the word itself proves that need not always be so. Perhaps the wisdom of this ancient tradition could serve as a model for our nation as well. It would assure the freedom of conscience to which we are all entitled while cultivating the kind of heightened awareness from which we all could benefit.”

I for one make every day a prayer day and do not feel the need for a national call for such an endeavor. Perhaps this is a religious activity, in which we could partake as much as we do working out, playing sports or watching t.v. Imagine the possibilities…