Presidential Proclamation–National Day of Prayer

A PROCLAMATION

Throughout our history, whether in times of great joy and
thanksgiving, or in times of great challenge and uncertainty, Americans
have turned to prayer. In prayer, we have expressed gratitude and
humility, sought guidance and forgiveness, and received inspiration and
assistance, both in good times and in bad.

On this day, let us give thanks for the many blessings God has
bestowed upon our Nation. Let us rejoice for the blessing of freedom
both to believe and to live our beliefs, and for the many other freedoms
and opportunities that bring us together as one Nation. Let us ask for
wisdom, compassion, and discernment of justice as we address the great
challenges of our time.

We are blessed to live in a Nation that counts freedom of conscience
and free exercise of religion among its most fundamental principles,
thereby ensuring that all people of goodwill may hold and practice their
beliefs according to the dictates of their consciences. Prayer has
been a sustaining way for many Americans of diverse faiths to express
their most cherished beliefs, and thus we have long deemed it fitting
and proper to publicly recognize the importance of prayer on this day
across the Nation.

Let us remember in our thoughts and prayers those suffering from
natural disasters in Haiti, Chile, and elsewhere, and the people from
those countries and from around the world who have worked tirelessly and
selflessly to render aid. Let us pray for the families of the West
Virginia miners, and the people of Poland who so recently and
unexpectedly lost many of their beloved leaders.

Let us pray for the
safety and success of those who have left home to serve in our Armed
Forces, putting their lives at risk in order to make the world a safer
place. As we remember them, let us not forget their families and the
substantial sacrifices that they make every day. Let us remember the
unsung heroes who struggle to build their communities, raise their
families, and help their neighbors, for they are the wellspring of our
greatness. Finally, let us remember in our thoughts and prayers those
people everywhere who join us in the aspiration for a world that is
just, peaceful, free, and respectful of the dignity of every human
being.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of
America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and
laws of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim May 6, 2010,
as a National Day of Prayer. I call upon the citizens of our Nation to
pray, or otherwise give thanks, in accordance with their own faiths and
consciences, for our many freedoms and blessings, and I invite all
people of faith to join me in asking for God’s continued guidance,
grace, and protection as we meet the challenges before us.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this thirtieth day of
April, in the year of our Lord two thousand ten, and of the
Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and
thirty-fourth.

BARACK OBAMA