[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 40, Number 19 (Monday, May 10, 2004)]
[Pages 722-723]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Proclamation 7780--National Day of Prayer, 2004

April 30, 2004

By the President of the United States

of America

A Proclamation

    In his first Inaugural Address, President George Washington prayed 
that the Almighty would preserve the freedom of all Americans. On the 
National Day of Prayer, we celebrate that freedom and America's great 
tradition of prayer. The National Day of Prayer encourages Americans of 
every faith to give thanks for God's many blessings and to pray for each 
other and our Nation.
    Prayer is an opportunity to praise God for His mighty works, His 
gift of freedom, His mercy, and His boundless love. Through prayer, we 
recognize the limits of earthly power and acknowledge the sovereignty of 
God. According to Scripture, ``the Lord is near to all who call upon Him 
. . . He also will hear their cry, and save them.'' Prayer leads to 
humility and a grateful heart, and it turns our minds to the needs of 
others.
    On this National Day of Prayer, we pray especially for the brave men 
and women of the United States Armed Forces who are serving around the 
world to defend the cause of liberty. We are grateful for their courage 
and sacrifice and ask God to comfort their families while they are away 
from home. We also pray that the people of Iraq and Afghanistan, and 
throughout the Greater Middle East, may live in safety and freedom. 
During this time, we continue to ask God's blessing for our Nation, 
granting us strength to meet the challenges ahead and wisdom as we work 
to build a more peaceful future for all.
    The Congress, by Public Law 100-307, as amended, has called on our 
citizens to reaffirm the role of prayer in our society by recognizing 
annually a ``National Day of Prayer.''
    Now, Therefore, I, George W. Bush, President of the United States of 
America, do hereby proclaim May 6, 2004, as a National Day of Prayer. I 
ask the citizens of our Nation to give thanks, each according to his or 
her own faith, for the freedoms and blessings we have received and for 
God's continued guidance and protection. I also

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urge all Americans to join in observing this day with appropriate 
programs, ceremonies, and activities.
    In Witness Whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this thirtieth day 
of April, in the year of our Lord two thousand four, and of the 
Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and twenty-
eighth.
                                                George W. Bush

[Filed with the Office of the Federal Register, 8:45 a.m., May 4, 2004]

Note: This proclamation was published in the Federal Register on May 5. 
This item was not received in time for publication in the appropriate 
issue.