Proclamation 4591—National Day of Prayer, 1978

Our Nation, perhaps more than any other, has always held a special cognizance of the gifts of the Creator. We were founded upon a belief in, and reverence for, the liberty of the human spirit under God and the equality of all people before the Almighty. Regardless of our individual conceptions of the Divine, Americans have always sought from Providence the help and guidance necessary to live justly and to build a better world for all who share this planet.

Today we face challenges equal to any in our history. Few generations have been given such opportunities for good or ill on Earth. We approach our responsibility confidently, but with sobering awareness that God's sea is very great, and our ship, infinitely small.

From time to time we should turn to the Almighty for help and guidance, as we have done throughout our Nation's two hundred and three years. In humility and reverence, we should pause from our daily activities to thank our Creator for the bountiful goodness that imbues our lives, and to ask for His blessing in the days ahead.

Recognizing this, the Congress by joint resolution approved April 17, 1952 (36 U.S.C. 185; 66 Stat. 64) has called upon the President to set aside a suitable day each year as a National Day of Prayer.

Now, Therefore, I, Jimmy Carter, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim Saturday, October 7, 1978, as National Day of Prayer. I ask all Americans to join with me on that day in asking God's help that we may see and understand our responsibilities and discharge them with wisdom, strength, and patience.

In Witness Whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this first day of September, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred seventy-eight, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and third.

JIMMY CARTER