Several years ago, the Lord answered an urgent prayer of mine in a powerful and tangible way. Our children, Danae and Ryan, were still quite young at the time, and we were home alone while Jim was out traveling. I was sleeping peacefully—until around 2 A.M., when I awoke with a start. I didn't know why, but I was filled with fear! After several minutes of lying quietly, I finally forced myself out of bed and sank to my knees.

    "Lord," I prayed, "I don't know why I'm so frightened. I ask You to watch over our home and protect our family. Please send a guardian angel to be with us."

I climbed back in bed, and was relieved to discover that my fear had subsided. A few minutes later, I was sleeping peacefully once again.

    In the morning, a neighbor informed me that, according to police, a burglar had broken into the house next door around 2 A.M.—precisely when I had awakened in fear! During the course of our conversation, I mentioned that if someone had wanted to break into our own home, he would probably have tried to enter through the bathroom window on the dark side of the house. Checking that area for possible evidence of intrusion, we discovered that the bathroom screen was bent and the window sill splintered. Someone had indeed attempted to break in. But what had stopped him?

    I have no doubt that the Lord answered my prayer on that uneasy night. He not only protected us from harm, but He also gave me the peace I needed to go back to sleep and leave matters entirely in His hands. In reflecting on that experience, I am reminded of Peter's invitation to "[Cast] all your anxiety upon Him, because He cares for you" (1 Peter 5:7). God makes prayer as easy as possible for us. Completely approachable and available, He will never abandon us in our hour of need. All He asks is that we bring Him our requests.

    That childlike dependence on the Father is the cornerstone of our work here at the National Day of Prayer Task Force. Our primary mission is to encourage Americans to join together and present their requests to God. Rather than focusing on personal needs, however, NDP events are designed to facilitate intercessory prayer on behalf of our nation, its leaders, and its families.

    The 2004 National Day of Prayer takes place on Thursday, May 6, under the theme "Let Freedom Ring." Our goal this year is to encourage believers to embrace the freedom to express their faith in the public square through prayer, as guaranteed them by the First Amendment. Many of us take this important right for granted, and yet we must remember that there are many countries throughout the world that do not afford their citizens that same freedom. How thankful we should be, then, that our own government has specifically set aside the first Thursday of every May as a day for public and private prayer by its citizenry. In emphasizing the "Let Freedom Ring" idea, we hope to remind all Americans that, if we fail to take advantage of the religious freedom afforded to us as citizens, we run the risk of losing it.

    The Bible verse supporting this year's NDP event is found in Leviticus 25:10, which reads in part, ". . . proclaim liberty throughout the land to all its inhabitants"(NIV). It is the same passage that was inscribed upon the Liberty Bell by our Founding Fathers when it was commissioned in 1751. We're hoping that this verse and our theme will make a strong impact on all who participate in the 2004 National Day of Prayer.

    Now, more than ever before, we must be willing to stand up in defense of the freedoms we hold so dear, particularly as they relate to our ability to pray and to worship God in the public square. Indeed, just as a burglar endeavored to intrude on my home a number of years ago, there are forces at work that are endeavoring to "steal" some of our most basic rights and freedoms as Americans. In the name of "tolerance" and "diversity," organizations such as the American Civil Liberties Union and Americans United for the Separation of Church and State are working to give every religion and ideology a place at the table except the Judeo-Christian tradition. Consider the divisive battle that took place in Montgomery, Alabama last year to remove the Ten Commandments monument from the state judicial building; or the prohibition of prayer at high school football games and graduation ceremonies by the U.S. Supreme Court; or the outrageous Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals decision that denies children the right to recite "under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance. The rights of citizens in this country to worship freely have been steadily eroded.

    I'm confident that God will answer our prayers for protection from these assaults on religious freedom if we will join together and humbly call on His Name. We must redouble our efforts to show our fellow citizens that we plan to "stay the course" with regard to our own beliefs, and to support the right of those of other faiths to worship—or not to worship at all—according to the dictates of their consciences. The National Day of Prayer provides us with an excellent opportunity to embrace our nation's Judeo-Christian heritage in this way. By doing so, we demonstrate the true meaning of "tolerance" and "diversity," which are themselves expressions of the values upon which our forefathers built our government and established our laws.

    Even as we endeavor to preserve our constitutionally guaranteed right to pray, we must also remember what we are praying for. At this critical moment in our nation's history, the needs are many. We must remember the brave men and women in our military who are placed in harm's way around the world. In addition, we need to pray for our governmental leaders, from the local to the national level, asking the Lord to grant them wisdom in the decisions they face. Finally, we must pray for our nation's families, which are being threatened by divorce, immoral entertainment, harmful court decisions, and numerous other challenges.

    I hope you will join with family members, friends, and others in your community by embracing the freedom to worship that has been bestowed upon every American in our democratic society. In addition to the national observance (which takes place in Washington, D.C.), there will be prayer gatherings hosted in schools, parks, statehouses, and other public venues throughout the country. For a listing of NDP happenings in your area, log on to our Web site at nationaldayofprayer.org, and click on the "Event Calendar" icon. If there's not an observance in your community, how about you organizing one? I can guarantee that you will be blessed. Together, we can "Let Freedom Ring" on May 6!

—Shirley Dobson

Shirley Dobson has served as the Chairman of the National Day of Prayer Task Force since 1991 and currently resides in Colorado Springs with her husband, Dr. James Dobson, founder of Focus on the Family.