Albany Christians gather for special day of prayer

ALBANY — Albany area Christians gathered Thursday at the courtyard of the Government Center on Pine Avenue in observation of the National Day of Prayer.

The one-hour event included remarks by Don Adams, senior pastor of First United Methodist Church in Albany; Butch Knight, senior pastor of First Baptist Church of Albany and Dougherty County Sheriff Kevin Sproul.

According to Larry Price, an organizer of the Albany gathering, the focus was on prayer as a power for positive change, both nationally and locally and on a personal level.

“We are a Christian nation,” Price said. “And this city and county are filled with believers who depend on God for righteous growth and progress. This day is an opportunity for us to show our Christian values.”

Sproul urged Christians to “get serious” about prayer.

“Prayer is communion with God,” Sproul said. “Prayer is talking with God, listening to Him and just enjoying His presence in your life.”

Sproul emphasized to the roughly 150 attendees, the difference prayer has made in his own life.

“Prayer is very powerful and effective,” Sproul said. “In my 32-plus years with the Sheriff’s Office there have been many times I wanted to quit — just throw in the towel — but through the prayers of my family and members of the community, I’ve remained encouraged.

Adams, in his address, used the Old Testament story of the fall of King Solomon to illustrate the importance of obedience to God for those who expect answers to their prayers.

“The Lord appears to Solomon and issues a warning,” Adams said. “‘Obey and you will be blessed. Disobey and you will be punished.’ Solomon obeys only for a while, and by the middle of the book of First Kings, Solomon is dead and his kingdom is divided.”

“You can take off in flights of prayer and you can soar for a time in the blessing of God. But if disobedience is allowed to creep behind the yoke, the landing will not be pretty. God blesses obedience that comes out of our faith.”

Knight suggested that the “unrest” in many of the nation’s cities could soon be seen in Albany, and to achieve the best results from prayer, area Christians should consider praying for the city. To illustrate a Biblical precedent, Knight looked to Jeremiah’s letter to the exiles.

“He told the exiles, ‘while you’re there (in Babylon), live out your life in the city and pray to Lord on behalf of the city because in its wholeness, wholeness will come to you,’” Knight said. “If we want Albany to be the Good Life City, then we must pray that God will bless and God will enable, and we will experience Albany as the Good Life City.”

Knight provided free bookmarks for those attending featuring the full quote from Jeremiah 29:7 as well as a seven-day schedule for attendees to pray for pastors, government officials, families and students, to achieve racial harmony within the city and to lower unemployment.

Following closing remarks and a prayer conducted by Gary Sanders, senior pastor of First Mount Olive Missionary Baptist Church of Albany, event attendees were asked join in more intimate prayer groups of five to seven members each. A prepared prayer provided by National Day of Prayer Honorary Chairman Jack Graham was made available to the groups.

Following the final prayer sessions, the event ended with a rendition of The Lord’s Prayer, sung by Cheryl Calhoun.

According to the official website, The National Day of Prayer is an annual event created in 1952 by a joint resolution of the U.S. Congress and signed into law by President Harry Truman.