For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
May 3, 2001
Remarks by the President During National Day of Prayer Reception
State Floor
Listen to the President's Remarks
3:48 P.M. EDT
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you,
all. Thank you and welcome to the White
House. It's great to see members of my Cabinet
here. Secretaries Veneman, Martinez and Paige, thank you
all for coming. Leaders of the United States Congress, thank
you all for being here, as well.
Shirley, thank you for the state proclamations
-- I quickly thumbed through to make sure that Florida was
there. (Laughter.) Otherwise, my little brother
might be hearing from me. (Laughter.) But it was
there. And thanks for the beautiful painting. We know how
much work it takes to organize the National Day of Prayer, and all of
us thank you for your hard work. You've done a very good
job. (Applause.)
Whitley, thank you very much for sharing your
voice with us. This is the second time I've been privileged
to hear your voice since I've been the President. I hope to
hear it a lot more. And, Angela, it's wonderful to see you
again. Thank you for your testimony and your beauty and your
grace.
And Reverend Rogers, thank you so much for
bringing not only your own words of prayer, but that of our mutual
friend, Billy Graham, for whom we continue to pray for his health.
This is a day when our nation recognizes a
power above our power, and influence beyond our influence, a guiding
wisdom far greater than our own. The American character, it's strong
and confident; but we have never been reluctant to speak of our own
dependence on providence.
Our country was founded by great and wise
people who were fluent in the language of humility, praise and
petition. Throughout our history, in danger and division, we
have always turned to prayer. And our country has been
delivered from many serious evils and wrongs because of that prayer.
We cannot presume to know every design of our
Creator, or to assert a special claim on His favor. Yet, it
is important to pause and recognize our help in ages past and our hope
for years to come.
The first President to live in the White House
arrived with a prayer. In a letter to his wife, written on his second
night here, John Adams offered a prayer that Heaven might bless this
house and all those who would call it home. One of his
successors, Franklin D. Roosevelt, thought enough of that prayer to
have it inscribed on a mantlepiece in the State Dining Room, where you
can still find it today.
In this house, I make many
decisions. But as I do so, as I make those decisions, I know
as surely as you said that many Americans lift me up in
prayer. Those prayers are a gracious gift, and Laura and I
and my family greatly appreciate them.
America has many traditions of faith and many
experiences of prayer. But I suspect that many who pray have something
in common: that we may pray for God's help, but as we do so,
we find that God has changed our deepest selves. We learn
humility before His will and acceptance of things beyond our
understanding. We discover that the most sincere of all
prayers can be the simple words, "Thy will be done." And
that is a comfort more powerful than all our plans.
Laura and I really appreciate you being here
on this special day. We thank you for your concerns for your
country and your love of the Lord. It's an honor for me to be here and
I would ask that you join me in the State Dining Room for a little
fellowship.
God bless America. (Applause.)
3:52 P.M. EDT
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