Most mornings I have to check my schedule to know what my day looks like. But not Oct. 1. There’s only one thing on the agenda: prayer.

World Vision sets aside the first day of the new fiscal year, Oct. 1, solely for corporate prayer—thanking God for what He has accomplished through our work and asking for His provision in the year ahead.

Prayer has always been an essential part of World Vision’s ministry. The difficulties we face working in some of the world’s poorest and least stable countries demand our dependence on God. In 1981, former president Ted Engstrom made Day of Prayer official. This year, nearly 40,000 World Vision employees around the world will eschew e-mail and business meetings and devote themselves to prayer and worship.

It reminds me of a quote I heard from Martin Luther: “I have so much to do that I will spend the first three hours in prayer.” For those of us who are wired for action rather than contemplation, it’s hard to literally stop and ask for help—even from God, who we know guides our steps.

I’m always inspired by the story of Nehemiah in the Old Testament, who was a man of both prayer and action. His fervent prayer time with God prepared him to carry out an ambitious plan to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. He sought God’s blessing, then he got down to work: securing permission from the Persian king and mobilizing people to rebuild the walls—in just 52 days.

On Thursday, would you join us at World Vision in prayer? We would appreciate your prayers for the children and families we serve. Your devotion time can also be an opportunity to clarify God’s call in your life or to seek His favor on your plans. Like Jerusalem in Nehemiah’s time, much of our world today is in ruins—and every child of God has his or her part to rebuild.