(OPINION) The annual National Day of Prayer broadcast expects to reach nearly 110 million U.S. households through television, radio and online platforms this year.
The annual broadcast, which will focus on James 5:16 and the theme of praying fervently in righteousness, will air for 30 minutes Thursday at 8 p.m. Eastern time on a variety of platforms. The broadcast can be heard on Pray.com, the National Day of Prayer Task Force website and Facebook.com/pray.
In addition to the broadcast, thousands of in-person events will be held by National Day of Prayer (NDP) Task Force volunteer coordinators in various areas in every state and U.S. territory.
Co-host of this year’s NDP broadcast is the Rev. Samuel Rodriguez, senior pastor of New Season Church in California and president of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference.
Rodriguez told The Christian Post in an interview that National Day of Prayer “is more important now in 2023 than ever before in American history.”
“As a nation, we’ve never been down this road. It’s a road of moral relativism, a road of cultural decadence, unprecedented strife and discord,” Rodriguez said. “The 2023 National Day of Prayer carries an incredible amount of spiritual and moral weight as it pertains to the advancement of this idea we call the American experiment.”
“We’re praying for an awakening in America. We are praying for unity. We are praying for repentance. We are praying for hope. We are praying for truth, to overcome the lies, for love, to silence hate and for America’s problems to become America’s testimony.”
Rodriguez said he believes there are two major issues plaguing American society as a whole: protecting children “from architects of darkness” and coming together in unity.
“Our children and our children’s children are targeted by ideological and social constructs that are counterintuitive to God’s purpose with respect to life,” Rodriguez said. “We are so divided politically. We’re so divided culturally. We’re so divided ideologically. We must come together around this idea of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”
Rodriguez added that he and others will be “asking God to show up,” believing that “the most important outcome that we can experience out of this National Day of Prayer is an awakening.”
NDP Task Force President Kathy Branzell will co-host the broadcast with Rodriguez. In a statement, Branzell said she is excited that Rodriguez will be part of the observance.
“The NDP Task Force has had the privilege of steering and stewarding this day for decades, and we take the responsibility of mobilizing unified public prayer for America very seriously,” Branzell stated.
“Reverend Rodriguez is a true prayer warrior, and I am looking forward to locking shields and running into this spiritual battle for the soul of America together — praying fervently for one another, our neighbors and our nation.” (READ MORE)
