America Urged to 'Repent' on Nat'l Day of Prayer

Christians across America gathered Thursday to pray and seek God's blessings on our nation during the 63rd annual National Day of Prayer. This year's theme was "One Voice, United in Prayer."

More than 40,000 prayer events were held, with millions of people participating across the United States.

At one rally in Washington, D.C., attendees prayed for the government, including the president and members of Congress.

Anne Graham Lotz, daughter of evangelist Billy Graham, told the crowd that natural disasters and social and economic problems are warnings that God's "judgment is coming."

"The answer will not be political or military or economic or education. The answer is to fall on our face before God and cry out to Him in humble repentance of sin," Lotz, a member of the National Day of Prayer Task Force, said.

"Just because the National Day of Prayer is ending doesn't mean we stop praying," she admonished. "This is the beginning. Now it's up to you. It's up to you to cry out to God."

Other prayer leaders echoed that sentiment, urging Americans to repent and pray for spiritual revival.

Meanwhile, the nation's capital wasn't the only place people gathered to pray.

In Hampton, Virginia, Pastors Chris Hallaren and Neverett Yarbough brought together Christians from different cultures and denominations on the state's peninsula. The gathering was so large, the organizers rented a convention center to accommodate the crowd.

"I think it's important that the body of Christ works together," Pastor Yarbough, of Harvest Ministries, told the audience. "I think that's what God intended. I think that's what Jesus wanted."

They asked God to lead people to repentance, both individually and as a nation.

"We're in desperate need of an awakening of the spirit of God, a legitimate, true, genuine revival...that will awaken the Church and really shake our culture as well," Pastory Hallaren, of Grace Church Newport News, said.

The faithful prayed for healing in families, schools, and finances.

"I have a long prayer list of many needs, but of course the most important is the salvation of souls," event participant Tamla Ford said.

Meanwhile, there is one prayer that many Christians shared nationwide Thursday: trusting in the power of God to transform a nation, one life at a time.