UPS and the National Day of Prayer

I attended a National Day of Prayer Service last Thursday held on the steps of the Municipal Building in downtown Washington, North Carolina.   Local civic and business leaders have sponsored a National Day of Prayer for at least a decade, and I have attended most of them.  I thought this year’s Day of Prayer was exceptional.  The prayers were offered by representatives from a cross-section of our community.  Clergy, elected officials, business owners, and community leaders were all represented.  Those responsible for putting the program together were very careful to make sure that various denominations and ethnic groups were invited to participate.  

I was also impressed by the musicians who led in this year’s event.  The event began with the blowing of a shofar; a local trumpeter led in the National Anthem; and a mother/daughters vocal group sang appropriately (since we were only a few hundred yards from the Pamlico)  “When I Went Down to the River to Pray.”

But the one thing that impressed me most about this year’s National Day of Prayer was not on the official program.  As I stood on the steps of the Municipal Building, I noticed a UPS delivery truck making its way up the street.  When the driver approached the Municipal Building, he apparently took note of what was happening.  I’ve never worked for UPS, but I’m told that most drivers are on a fairly tight schedule.  So, you can imagine the surprise, at least it was for me, when this particular driver stopped his truck; pulled to the curb; sat on the steps of his truck; removed his cap; and participated in the service.  

In my opinion, this driver exemplified what the National Day of Prayer should really be about.  It shouldn’t be a “political football” tossed around by politicians for their own political gain and purposes.  It shouldn’t  be about official proclamations or mandates.  It should be about people who care enough to pause from their busyness to pray for our Great Nation and her leaders.

Blessings,

Jimmy