[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 39, Number 18 (Monday, May 5, 2003)]
[Pages 513-514]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks on the National Day of Prayer

May 1, 2003

    Thanks for coming. Thanks for the warm welcome. I'm glad you're here 
at the people's house. Laura and I welcome you. We're really pleased to 
have you here. I want to thank each of you for participating in the 
National Day of Prayer. It's a good time to be praying. Every day is a 
good day to pray. [Laughter]
    Today we recognize the many ways our country has been blessed, and 
we acknowledge the source of those blessings. Millions of Americans seek 
guidance every day in prayer to the Almighty God. I am one of them. I 
also know that many Americans remember Laura and me in their prayers, 
and we are so very, very grateful.
    I want to thank General Hicks, chaplain of the entire U.S. Army, for 
being here today, and thank you for your service. Shirley, thank you as 
well for once again being the chairwoman of the National Day of Prayer. 
I see you brought your husband along too. [Laughter]
    Luis, muchas gracias. Thank you for your beautiful prayer. Father 
Joe Wallroth is going to be with us in a second. I'm honored you are 
here, Father.
    I really want to thank the Washington National Cathedral Choir of 
Men and Girls. It is a fabulous way to begin a morning, to walk down the 
corridor here and hear your beautiful voices echo throughout this 
magnificent house. We're really glad you're here, and thank you for 
sharing your talents.

[[Page 514]]

    Julie, thank you as well for coming. Gosh, I could have sat here and 
listened all day to your singing. [Laughter]
    We've got a lot of military chaplains who are here. I want to thank 
you for your service to your country and to those who wear our uniform. 
You make a tremendous difference in the lives, the daily lives of people 
who are frightened and lonely and worried and strong and courageous. I 
appreciate so very much what you have done and will continue to do.
    So many great events in our Nation's history were shaped by men and 
women who found strength and direction in prayer. The first President to 
live in this house composed a prayer on his second evening here for all 
who would follow him. Our 16th President, Abraham Lincoln, knew that his 
burdens were too great for any man, so he carried them to God in prayer. 
Over the radio on D-day in 1944, Franklin Roosevelt prayed for God's 
blessing on our mission to ``set free a suffering humanity.''
    This past month has been another time of testing for America and 
another time of intense prayer. Americans have been praying for the 
safety of our troops and for the protection of innocent life in Iraq. 
Americans prayed that war would not be necessary and now pray that peace 
will be just and lasting.
    We continue to pray for the recovery of the wounded and for the 
comfort of all who have lost a loved one. The Scriptures say: The Lord 
is near to all who call on Him. Calling on God in prayer brings us 
nearer to each other. After his son was rescued from northern Iraq, the 
father of Sergeant James Riley of New Jersey said, ``We have been 
flooded with people's prayers. Everyone is praying for us, and we are so 
grateful.''
    During Operation Iraqi Freedom, many Americans have registered 
online to adopt a service man or woman in prayer. Others wear prayer 
bracelets to remind themselves to intercede on behalf of our troops. In 
Fountain City, Wisconsin, Lynn Cox has collected at least 80 Bibles to 
send to those serving in Iraq. In Green, Ohio, a group of parishioners 
at Queen of Heaven Catholic Church has made 2,000 rosaries for our 
troops. Margaret Brown, who helped start the group, said, ``We want them 
to know that someone back here is holding them up in prayer and that God 
is so powerful He can supply all their needs.''
    To pray for someone else is an act of generosity. We set our own 
cares aside and look to strengthen another. Prayer teaches humility. We 
find that the plan of the Creator is sometimes very different from our 
own. Yet, we learn to depend on His loving will, bowing to purposes we 
don't always understand. Prayer can lead to a grateful heart, turning 
our minds to all the gifts of life and to the great works of God.
    Prayer can also contribute to the life of our Nation. America is a 
strong nation, in part because we know the limits of human strength. All 
strength must be guided by wisdom and justice and humility. We pray that 
God will grant us that wisdom, that sense of justice, and that humility 
in our current challenges and in the years ahead.
    I thank you all for helping to keep prayer an integral part of our 
national life. May God bless each one of you, and may God continue to 
bless the United States of America.

Note: The President spoke at 7:47 a.m. in the East Room at the White 
House. In his remarks, he referred to Brig. Gen. David Hicks, USA, 
Deputy Chief of Chaplains, U.S. Army; Shirley Dobson, chairman, National 
Day of Prayer Task Force; James C. Dobson, founder and president, Focus 
on the Family; Luis Palau, president, Luis Palau Evangelistic 
Association; Col. Joseph Wallroth, USAF, Wing Chaplain, Andrews Air 
Force Base; and Julie Keim, soloist, Washington National Cathedral. The 
Office of the Press Secretary also released a Spanish language 
transcript of these remarks.