National Day of Prayer
Religious, political, and community leaders from around Malvern and surrounding areas came together Thursday to observe the National Day of Prayer. The gathering was scheduled to take place at the Hot Spring County Courthouse, but officials moved the ceremony to the Malvern-hot Spring County Chamber of Commerce due to inclement weather.
“So glad that you could come today. The important thing is, is that we pray, and that our nation prays,” Jimmy Bobo, pastor of Malvern First Assembly of God Church, said in his opening remarks. “And right now while we’re praying here—of course, it’s in different time zones, it’s a different time, but all across this nation, people are lifting up the name of Jesus over our nation. And we’re here today because we believe that makes a difference.”
“We’re not here to preach, we’re here to pray,” Bobo said, then he introduced the youth choir from Gospel Light Baptist Church’s Ambassador Baptist Academy to sing a Christian medley of songs to begin the ceremony.
Bobo then welcomed Hot Spring County Judge Dennis Thornton up to the podium to lead the first prayer of the day’s event.
“Father, we just thank you for this National Day of Prayer, to come out and lift our voices unto You, Lord,” Thornton said. He asked for God to watch over the city and county government officials and guide them to make the best decisions for the people of Hot Spring County, according to His will.
“May we unite together, may we have one vision together, and that is to serve You in an honorable and reasonable way, and Father, always look unto You and to Your storehouse for Your many blessings,” Thornton prayed.
Thornton asked God to bless and protect all, asking that those who are hurting to look to Him for strength and guidance.
“And Father, we pray for those who are sick and afflicted, and we pray for those who are the sickest of all, Father, and that’s the lost,” Thornton said. “We just pray that they might look to you, Father, before it’s everlasting too late.”
Captain Doye Delacruz with the Malvern Police Department was the next in line to lead a prayer. Delacruz gave a beautiful prayer of dedication, specifically, for all first responders.
“Our dear Heavenly Father, we are so very thankful and blessed that we live in a country where we may gather together in unity on this National Day of Prayer,” Delacruz began.
“We pray to you, Lord, for Your blessings over all first responders, these brave men and women who have sworn an oath to serve our community and are willing to make many personal sacrifices without regret, asking for nothing in return, ensuring our right to peace, health, and happiness,” he said.
“We ask that You place Your hands of protection around them and give them the courage, the guidance, and the wisdom to face every adversity they come across,” Delacruz said, “So they may come home to their families and loved ones safe.”
“Please let them know that they are truly appreciated and loved, and when they walk long duty in harm’s way, they are never alone, because You are with them” Delacruz said.
Hot Spring/grant County Prosecutor Teresa Howell was the next speaker at the podium to lead the attendees in a special prayer.
“It is my honor to stand before you today,” Howell began. She said she would be leading her planned prayer and also offering up prayers for the city of Malvern because Mayor Brenda Weldon, who had planned to lead a special prayer in that regard, was absent from the ceremony due to illness.
“Father thank you so much for allowing us to be here today,” Howell began. She echoed Delacruz’s expression of thanks for living in a country where such a gathering of unified prayer could take place.
“I stand before you today a sinner, but a sinner saved by grace, and I can come to You, thank you” Howell said. “I ask You to please go with me as I lead this office of the prosecuting attorney and my office, my deputies, and all the folks who work for us, and I pray that You will please be with us as we stand in the gap for the victims.”
“And that you will also be with the defendants and those who wish to commit crimes, that You will change their hearts, Father,” Howell said. “That there is another way, that there is hope in You, not on the streets, not committing crimes. Give them Your hope, show them a different way.”
Howell prayed for those who work at the courthouses and in the judicial system.
“For all those who work in the courthouse and who are trying their best to do justice in this world, give them strength, give them wisdom, and give them courage, and we pray for Your mercy and Your grace,” Howell said.
Howell asked for blessings over the city of Malvern and Weldon, asking Him to be with the Mayor, the city, the city workers, and the youth of the community.
“I ask You to please also bless our youth, lead our youth, give our youth hope,” Howell said. “As they are the ones who will be leading us give them strength, mercy, courage, give them bravery as they stand in this world.”
“We take for granted our ability to be here this morning, and to pray together,” began State Senator Alan Clark, who was next at the podium. “We serve the same God of the universe.”
“We’ve been put in a place to stand to protect you in ways that you don’t have to know, that you shouldn’t know, but we’re in a time when our leaders really need prayer,” Clark said.
“Lord, we thank you first of all for the gift of this great nation,” Clark said, “and the wonderful freedoms that we have that some would take away, sometimes in great big ways, sometimes just chiseling away a little bit at a time.”
“Lord help Your leaders to stand, our elected leaders, Lord,” Clark said. “Help the people to stand, to elect those who fear God and who would do the things that they should do.”
Clark asked God to direct and guide state officials and all those who work with these state officials, to work in faith and make Godly decisions in their course of duties.
“Lord, help us to take a stand, help us to do the right things,” Clark said. He prayed that God be with the senators, the Supreme Court, and all lesser courts.
“Touch their hearts in a mighty way,” Clark said. “We thank you for the wisdom that you gave this legislature.”
“Thank You for legislature that made this the most pro-life state in the country. Lord, these are not partisan things, Lord, these are Christian things, Lord, these are Godly things,” Clark said. “Lord, help to keep us Godly.”
“Thank you for a legislature that has stood up for children and said they shouldn’t be given hormones, they shouldn’t be given drugs that are experimental, horrible things,” Clark said.
“Lord, we ask You to be with people around the world including Ukraine, but Lord, we especially have a heart for here,” Clark said.
The next official to offer prayers was Rev. James Sanders from West End Church of God in Christ.
“Dear God of Heaven, we just thank you for your blessings and for this privilege we have to come together,” Sanders said. “We thank you for loving us, for caring for us, and your blessings that is upon our lives.”
“We pray for oneness, and we pray for unity in the homes, in the family circle, we pray for unity,” Sanders said. “In our cities and our counties and our state, we pray for unity. For this nation, we pray God that there will be no division, that there will be unity.”
“We see a situation that appears in the eyes of so many to be hopeless,” Sanders said. “But Heavenly Father, our hope, trust, and faith is in You. For You are more than able to heal the hurt to heal the pain, to mend the brokenhearted, you’re more than able.”
“We have learned Heavenly Father, to cast our care on You, for we know You care for us, and if there ever was a time that we need unity, we need it now,” Sanders said. “So we come humbly but boldly to the throne of Grace asking that You will help us, that Your name will be glorified, that You will be lifted up. Make us one, Heavenly Father, make us one.”
“We see our young people that have come today, and they have sung as one,” Sanders said. “So we pray for every adult that You will make us one, as well.”
“Keep us in Your keeping, order our steps in Your word, lead and guide us every step of the way, and we yield ourselves to You,” Sanders said. “We know that You are more than able to do exceedingly and abundantly above all that we can ask or think.”
“Speak Lord, and let there be unity,” Sanders prayed.
Bobo took the podium once more to offer a special prayer for Weldon.
“You’re the shepard over all of us, and God we recognize that today. Touch our town, heal our mayor, in Jesus’ name, Amen.”
Pastor John Horton was the final speaker and gave the last prayer of the day’s event. Horton has been the leader of Gospel Light Baptist Church for more than 20 years
“One of the pastors who has always been so cooperative and so helpful. In fact, every time I’ve ever called Pastor John Horton and told him this meeting’s coming up, his answer has always been ‘Whatever you want me to do,’” Bobo said when introducing Horton. “That’s the true heart of a servant.”
Horton brought the youth choir from Ambassador Baptist Academy to the front once again to sing a second medley of songs to honor Christ and the national observance. Before the final medley, Pastor Horton offered up some special words of thanks.
“Father, we love You. Thank You for being a wonderful God and we thank You for loving us,” Pastor Horton said. “God, I ask first of all that you forgive me where I fail you, for sin in my life.”
“Lord we’re human and we sin, and we thank You for paying for our sin, dying on the cross and giving us salvation,” Horton said.
“Lord, we thank You for America. Thank you that we were born in America, we grew up in America,” Horton said. “I’ve not known food shortages, and I’ve not known not having power, electricity. We’re very blessed, we’re very spoiled, and that’s because of You, Your protection of our great nation.”
Horton prayed for President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, as well.
“We ask, Lord, that you give them wisdom, and Lord I pray for the next election,” Pastor Horton said. “Lord, I ask that you would give us leaders in positions of authority that would lean toward You, and lean towards the Bible, that they would want to rule our nation according to the direction You would want us to go.”
Horton voiced concerns for leaders around the world in general, and those in Ukraine and Putin, in particular.
“Really these guys just need to get saved, and that would solve a whole lot of stuff, Lord,” Horton said. “But I also understand that this is a bad situation. People are dying.”
“I just pray that You work in their life over there and help protect them,” Horton said. “Just, the different difficulties that our world leaders are facing, Lord I pray that You would bless those leaders, give them wisdom as they lead.”
“You put them in position, You allowed it, and we believe that, we believe Your will is sovereign,” Horton said. He also asked for prayers for the almost 100 churches and church leaders around Hot Spring County.
Horton thanked God for bringing him to the Hot Spring County community, where he said most people love Jesus and have a similar faith.
“I pray that you bless us, bless our pastors, bless our churches, help us to grow, help us have a heart for people, a heart to serve,” Horton said.
“Lord, we thank You for the National Day of Prayer,” Horton said. “We thank Bro. Bobo, we appreciate you putting this together and putting the work into it every year. Bless us now, in Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.”