Two public National Day of Prayer observances were held in Tallahatchie County on Thursday, May 1, with both beginning at noon.
In Charleston, prayers were offered around the flagpole on the grounds of Charleston First Baptist Church. Host pastor Rev. Joe May spoke about the theme, "Pour Out to the God of Hope and Be Filled," inspired by the biblical text in Romans 15:13: "Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit."
A similar observance was held outside the Tallahatchie County Courthouse in Sumner under the leadership of Rev. Willie Williams, the pastor of Rollins United Methodist Church in Tutwiler.
The 2025 "national prayer," written by National Day of Prayer Task Force President Kathy Branzell, is as follows:
"God of hope, fill us with all joy and peace in believing, so that we will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
"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. This world is not our home or reality, but the Lord is our Rock, our Truth, our certainty.
"God of hope, we pour out our praise and are filled with Your powerful presence.
"We pour out repentance of sin and are filled with forgiveness and righteousness.
"We pour out pain from the attacks of the enemy — anxiousness, fear, anger — and You fill us with courage, assurance, and love.
"We pour out our needs, the desires of our hearts, and are filled with Your Kingdom provision and purpose.
"We pour out our hearts for our nation, for the people and places, relationships and responsibilities the Lord has established: the Church, Family, Education, Business, Military, Arts, Entertainment, Media, and Government. May all who live, serve, and steward in these be filled with Your purpose, wisdom, strength, and truth.
"Let Your lovingkindness, O LORD, be upon us, as we have hoped in You.
"In abounding hope, anchored by our hope in the name of Jesus, we pray. Amen!"
Learn more about the National Day of Prayer here.
