DAPHNE, Ala.—City officials, religious leaders and residents gathered outside City Hall Thursday to join millions of Americans in observing the National Day of Prayer.

Before leading a prayer for the economy, the Rev. Cleitis Walker, of the Greater Montrose A.M.E., spoke of the vulnerability our country is experiencing as it recovers from a widescale recession.

“One of the things about prayer we have to understand is that sometimes we pray for things we don’t understand,” he said, of some Americans’ lack of knowledge on the economy, and confusion of how it flatlined so significantly, costing a reported 5.7 million jobs.

 Many people seem to view the economy as a powerful force and perceive it to be as threatening as a vengeful deity.

But Walker suggested the crowd turn to God for answers to financial woes.

“Without God, you cannot be a successful business owner,” he said. “God will bless this economy.”

Mayor Fred Small, while greeting the crowd of about 80, recalled his experience this week with Honor Flight war veterans on a one-day round trip to Washington, D.C. to see war memorials.

“On that trip, I saw why we do this today,” Small said, referring to war stories veterans shared with him.

Col. J. Douglas Williams, before leading a prayer for the military, asked attendees to raise their hands if they had served in a foreign war, to which nearly one-third of the crowd responded.

“Let’s pray for our military,” he said. “They keep us safe.”

See the rest of this story in the May 9 Daphne Bulletin.