March 01, 1983 by

"Unprecedented" is the word for it. Here's why.

1. This year not only was the proclamation of the "Year of the Bible made, but the National Day of Prayer was established three months ahead of time   giving leaders unparalleled preparation time.
2. God sovereignly placed several key mission minded leaders on the planning committee for this event
3. Never before has the National Day of Prayer been tied with global concern.

The Result?

1. May 5th will be a National Day of Prayer for spiritual awakening and world outreach.
2. The National Day of Prayer will also be a launching pad for local "Concerts of Prayer" (gatherings of concentrated prayer, see page 6). These will continue beyond May 5th. Some of them have already begun.

The purpose of the National Day of Prayer, as stated by the National Committee, is:

1. To focus the united prayers of tens of millions of Americans on spiritual and other needs of the nation.
2. To heighten the nation's awareness of our dependence upon God and of the importance of prayer.
3. To encourage healing through united prayer among all Americans.

Beyond this they note, "The National Day of Prayer also offers a tremendous opportunity to further Christ's commission to "go... make disciples of all nations." As a result, the focus of this one day goes much further than five minutes at lunch time.