This year, May 1st marked a special day for me, a day when West Virginians and Americans across the Nation came together to celebrate a National Day of Prayer.

As a people of faith, we know that prayer is a powerful instrument.  And as one Nation under God, we know that many times our most powerful tool is prayer.

With this in mind, I have supported a Constitutional Amendment that would restore voluntary prayer in our Nation’s schools as well as a Resolution that would designate the first week in May as “American Religious History Week” to increase awareness and appreciation of America's history of religious faith.

I believe that the Framers of the Constitution made their intent clear when they wrote the First Amendment, and I believe they wanted to keep the new government from endorsing one religion over another, rather than erasing religion from the public square.  

The freedom to pray and express our religious beliefs is a right that is protected by both the Free Speech and Free Exercise Clauses of our Constitution. It is my hope that this legislation will inspire renewed appreciation and, dare I say pride, in our Nation’s unique religious history at a time when many Americans feel that the spiritual foundation of our society is slowly being chipped away.

President Abraham Lincoln, whose hand signed West Virginia’s birth certificate, in the midst of our Civil War quoted scripture, “A house divided against itself, can not stand.”  And so it cannot.

We must remember our Forefathers built this great Nation, not only to respect the laws of man, but also to honor the laws of God.  These deeply-held religious convictions have bound us together as a Nation for more than 200 years.

For hundreds of millions of Americans who believe in God, prayer is our bridge between Earth and Heaven, our way of opening our hearts to the Lord.  Through this intimate relationship we find peace and guidance. It is as important to us as the water we drink and the food we eat.  It nourishes our souls and makes us strong.  As Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. once said, “To be a Christian without prayer is no more possible than to be alive without breathing.”

I invite you to join me and my family this National Day of Prayer, National Religious History Week, and throughout the year, as we thank God for the many blessings he has bestowed upon this great Country and ask him to continue to heal our land and meet our needs — and exercise our God-given and Constitutionally protected right to pray.