    [United States Statutes at Large, Volume 133, 116th Congress, 1st Session]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

    Proclamation 9874 of April 30, 2019

    National Day of Prayer, 2019

    By the President of the United States of America

    A Proclamation

    Americans have always found power and unity through prayer. In 1988, the
    Congress, by Public Law 100-307, called on the President to issue each
    year a proclamation designating the first Thursday in May as a
    ``National Day of Prayer.'' Today, on this National Day of Prayer, we
    once again come together to give thanks to Almighty God for the
    bountiful blessings He has bestowed on our great Nation and to ask for
    His unfailing counsel. We also acknowledge our dependence on God's love
    to guide our families, communities, and our country away from harm and
    toward abundance and peace.
    Our Nation acknowledges that religious liberty is a natural right, given
    to us by our Creator, not a courtesy that government extends to us. The

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    First Amendment recognizes the freedom of religion and safeguards this
    right against government infringement. The United States' steadfast
    commitment to upholding religious freedom has ensured that people of
    different faiths can pray together and live in peace as fellow American
    citizens. We have no tolerance for those who disrupt this peace, and we
    condemn all hate and violence, particularly in our places of worship.
    Throughout our Nation's history, Americans have consistently turned to
    God for guidance at pivotal moments. In 1775, the Continental Congress
    first declared a day of prayer, asking American patriots throughout the
    colonies to pray in earnest for divine help in forming our Republic.
    Seventy-five years ago this June, President Franklin D. Roosevelt led
    the Nation in prayer as courageous Americans stormed the beaches of
    Normandy on D-Day. He prayed: ``Almighty God: Our sons, pride of our
    Nation, this day have set upon a mighty endeavor . . . Lead them
    straight and true; give strength to their arms, stoutness to their
    hearts, steadfastness in their faith.'' Today, we also pray for strength
    for our Nation and our Armed Forces as we face new challenges at home
    and abroad.
    Our Nation's honored tradition of prayer has sustained us and
    strengthened our trust that God will continue to watch over and
    accompany us through the best of times and the darkest hours. May we as
    Americans never forget the power of prayer and the greatness of our
    Creator. On this National Day of Prayer, let each of us, according to
    our own faiths, call upon God for His guidance and express our gratitude
    for the love and grace He bestows on us and our country.
    NOW, THEREFORE, I, DONALD J. TRUMP, President of the United States of
    America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and
    the laws of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim May 2,
    2019, as a National Day of Prayer. I invite the citizens of our Nation
    to pray, in accordance with their own faiths and consciences, in
    thanksgiving for the freedoms and blessings we have received, and for
    God's guidance and continued 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 nineteen, and of the
    Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-
    third.
    DONALD J. TRUMP