After representing The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints at a White House Rose Garden event in honor of the National Day of Prayer in Washington, D.C., on Thursday morning, Sister Tracy Y. Browning said there is power in “unifying our voices in prayers.”
“It was wonderful to be gathered together with so many religious leaders from such diverse faith traditions,” said Sister Browning, a counselor in the general presidency of the Primary, the church’s organization for children.
Sister Browning said after returning to Utah that she found it “particularly sweet” to listen as those who offered prayers communicated with God “in their own special ways.”
Blessings come when God’s children pray for one another, she added.
“As I reflect on the observance of the National Day of Prayer, I think it is marvelous that there is this opportunity that we have as believers to come together and petition God for our needs,” she said.
During the event, President Donald Trump signed an executive order establishing a presidential commission on religious liberty.
Sister Browning’s attendance is the latest instance of Latter-day Saint leaders engaging in national observances that promote faith and community.
Relief Society General President Jean B. Bingham offered a prayer at the White House’s National Day of Prayer event in 2018, as did Primary General President Joy D. Jones in 2019 and Debbie Marriott Harrison of the church’s D.C. Public Affairs Advisory Council in 2020.
And in 2017, Elder D. Todd Christofferson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles offered a prayer at the post-inaugural interfaith National Prayer Service held at the Washington National Cathedral.
The United States has observed an annual National Day of Prayer since 1952. In 1988, the country began holding this day of prayer on the first Thursday in May.
A statement posted on ChurchofJesusChrist.org said that “while deeply personal, the act of prayer also extends outward for members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Church members have a deep sense of civic responsibility and a desire to contribute to and strengthen the spiritual and moral fabric of society. The participation of church leaders in national prayer events is a manifestation of this belief, joining with others of faith to seek divine favor and guidance.”