Pour Out to the God of Hope and Be Filled*! This is the theme of this year’s National Day of Prayer. Observed every year on the first Thursday in May, the National Day of Prayer is a dedicated time when we, as Americans, can come together to pray for our country and its leaders in all levels of government, our families, our churches, and more.

At One by One, prayer is an important part of our work day every day. We begin every week in prayer for our moms, our mentors and other volunteers, our staff, our supporters, and our communities. And it’s not unusual to hear staff members on the phone praying for the people they’re speaking with or to see them gathered in the hall praying over a specific concern.

But if you’re a new Christian, new to prayer, or someone who’s just exploring Christianity, you may be wondering what you can do – or how you can pray – on this day. We have some suggestions below to help you participate in National Day of Prayer as well as ways you can pray for our ministry. We hope these ideas will help you deepen – or discover – a relationship with the Lord today and every day moving forward.

How to Participate in National Day of Prayer:

Attend a Community Gathering. Many communities have a gathering at city hall or a local park and invite leaders from different denominations to come together to pray over the community.
Attend a Church Gathering. Many churches have a special time of prayer on National Prayer Day. You can check with churches in your community and attend a service.
Join the official National Day of Prayer service online at 8:00 pm EST.

If You’re New to Prayer and Need a Place to Start:

Use the Lord’s Prayer as an example. When the disciples asked how to pray, Jesus shared with them the Lord’s prayer (Matthew 6:9-13). You don’t have to pray this prayer word for word, but if you pray in this manner you will acknowledge that God extends the offer of a personal relationship with Him as your heavenly Father, recognize His glory and power, seek His will to be done on earth, ask for daily provision, ask for forgiveness for your sins and for help in forgiving others, request protection from temptation, and declare God’s ultimate authority.
Be Yourself. God isn’t looking for fancy words or eloquent prose. He just wants to hear from you. If you’re not sure how to start, then think about talking to God as if you’re talking to a friend. You can tell the Lord anything and share your concerns, your frustrations, and, let’s not forget, your gratitude.

Praying for our Country

The National Day of Prayer website has several suggestions on specific ways to pray for our country alongside accompanying Bible verses. We’ve listed a few below. Visit their website for more specific ways to pray and additional supporting verses.

Pray for elected leaders in federal, state, and local government and our judiciary. Pray for wisdom and integrity. (I Kings 3:28; I Timothy 2: 1-2)
Pray for our military and their families. (2 Chronicles 32:6-8)
Pray for the media to report on life-giving messages and to report with honesty and integrity. (Philippians 4:8)
Pray for businesses, especially in areas needing an economic boost, and for Christian workers to display Christ-like behaviors in the workplace. (Psalm 132:15; Philippians 2:3)
Pray for our education systems and schools. Pray for atmospheres conducive to learning, for teachers and parents, and for students to fulfill their potentials. (Proverbs 2:3-6; Exodus 18:20-21; Philippians 1:9)
Pray for the church. Pray for renewed passion, commitment, and integrity among leadership and members. (Colossians 2:6-8; Matthew 22:37; John 17:23; 1 Peter 2:11)
Pray for families. (Mark 3:25; Romans 12:9-13; Malachi 4:5-6).

Praying for One by One

Will you join us in praying over One by One? We’d love to have your prayer for our moms, our mentors, and our staff. You can find specific prayer requests each month here on our website, or you can email us here to receive a monthly email on ways you can pray for our ministry. We’ve listed 10 specific prayer requests below.

Pray for our moms who need housing, who are struggling to meet rent, who are searching for jobs so they can provide for themselves and their children.
Pray for our moms who are in abusive situations and/or unsafe neighborhoods.
Pray for our moms who have had miscarriages.
Pray for our moms who are abortion vulnerable that they will know their babies are precious gifts from God and that He has plans for their lives and their babies’ lives.
Pray for moms who could benefit from a mentor to hear about our program and apply for a mentor.
Pray for the salvation of moms who do not yet know the Lord and for guidance and wisdom for those who are learning what it means to walk with Christ.
Pray for our mentors. Pray for their wisdom, strength, compassion, and courage as they mentor and share the Gospel with their moms.
Pray for more Christian women to join us as volunteer mentors to serve moms in need of support.
Pray for churches to partner with us as we shepherd women during crucial times in their lives.
Pray for our staff as we work to support and meet the needs of our mentors and our moms.

One by One is looking for Christian women across the US who have a heart for moms and babies and who are willing to mentor a mom either in-person or virtually, in English or in Spanish. We provide free training and give you all the materials you need to serve a mom. Click here to join us or learn more today.

*Romans 15:13 – “Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”