For Kathy Branzell, president of the National Day of Prayer Task Force, prayer is like breathing; it comes as natural to her as the air flowing in and out of her lungs. It’s her automatic response to anything that concerns her.
“If I see something distressing on the news, I pray. If I hear about something troubling, I pray,” she says.
“Scripture says in James 5:16 that ‘the effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much’ (NKJV). And that word much in the original language is the same word God uses throughout Scripture to describe His glory, His mercy and our reward in Heaven.
“And so, when I hear somebody say, ‘Let’s pray real quick,’ I think, What in the world are we going to do after we pray that’s going to avail more than prayer?”
Former NFL star Tim Tebow, who co-hosted this year’s National Day of Prayer broadcast with Branzell in May, is humbled by the fact that he can talk to God any time.
“Our God is so great,” Tebow says. “He loves us so much that He cares for us. He asks us not only to bring our excitement and dreams to Him, but also our burdens. We get to show up in prayer, not only with our joy but also our worries and anxieties.”
Prayer can bring peace to any situation, Tebow says, pointing to John 16:33: “These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.”
Tebow was taught to pray as a little boy.
“Watching my parents’ prayer life was so encouraging and convicting for me,” he says. “My mom was the one who taught me how to give things to the Lord. Over time, I learned how to praise Him in disappointments. Going to Him not only after wins but also after losses has helped me handle defeat, disappointment and rejection throughout my life because I am continually reminded that I am connected to the source of life.”
He has learned the truth of 2 Corinthians 12:9: “‘My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.’ Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me.”
Prayer reminds us of the hope we have in God. The theme of this year’s National Day of Prayer was to “Pour Out to the God of Hope and Be Filled,” based on Romans 15:13. And from that verse, Branzell prayed during this year’s broadcast that the God of Hope would “fill us with all joy and peace in believing, so that we will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”
She continued: “You have caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead; therefore, we hope in what we do not see. God of hope, we pour out our praise … we pour out our repentance … we pour out our pain … we pour out our needs … we pour out our hearts.”
No topic is off limits when we pray, Branzell says. Believers should pray for the government, elected officials, the media and people who are in arts, entertainment and business.
And for the nation, and for their neighbors constantly, every day of the year. Remember that God, who neither slumbers nor sleeps (Psalm 121:4) is always listening, and he invites us to pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17).
Christians should pray for their pastor as much as they pray for the president; they should pray for professors who teach at community colleges and universities. Pray for parents and children, and for the orphans who live in their city that are in foster care.
Pray for God’s righteousness to come back to America, she says, “that in the words of Billy Graham, elected officials and citizens alike would live more like ‘the Bible says,’ instead of according to prevailing opinions, preferences and agendas. That Christians and churches would mirror the love of God to the world.”
And when God answers your prayer, share it. Revelation 12:11 says, “They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony” (NKJV). Last year, as part of the National Day of Prayer focus, members prayed for prodigals—people who have walked away from the faith.
“The number of people who wrote us over the summer saying, ‘My prodigal came home.’ ‘My prodigal called me. I know he’s alive,’ was overwhelming.”
That is the hope that we have in God, that He is ever present with us, and that He is always listening.
“Hope is not a wish upon a star, or finding a penny on a sidewalk,” Branzell said. “There’s no such thing as luck; I pray people would know there is a God of hope, and He loves them more than they could ever understand.” ©2025 BGEA
Unless otherwise noted, Scripture quotations are taken from the New American Standard Bible 1995.
Photo: Ronald G. Walters / Light Productions Inc.