Today is the National Day of Prayer, when public officials, pastors, and citizens from all walks of life come together to pray in public. And we have a long tradition of public prayer in this nation. George Washington had a prayer for the nation and sent it to the governors of the United States in 1783. He prayed, “I now make it my earnest prayer, that God would have the United States in his holy protection, that he would incline the hearts of the Citizens to cultivate a spirit of subordination and obedience to Government, to entertain a brotherly affection and love for one another, for their fellow citizens of the United States at large, and particularly for their brethren who have served in the Field, and finally, that he would most graciously be pleased to dispose us all, to do Justice, to love mercy, and to demean ourselves with that Charity, humility and pacific temper of mind, which were the Characteristics of the Divine Author of our blessed Religion, and without an humble imitation of whose example in these things, we can never hope to be a happy Nation. Amen.” It’s a blessing that we have the freedom to pray publicly. After all, we’re made to commune with God and talk to him. It’s clear that our nation needs prayer more than ever. May we have the same spirit of prayer as Washington, and may God be merciful to us. Amen.