May 3 marks the National Day of Prayer. It could not come at a better time. Under assault from without and within, America needs God more than ever before. It is a great tragedy that this once overwhelmingly Christian nation has been turning away from God. Needless to say, we are paying a steep price as a result.  Most of the ills that plague us today - our moral looseness, our perverted popular culture, our flaccidness in the face of fanaticism - can be directly traced to a lack of godliness. We can, therefore, do no better than to repentantly implore God for his favor and protection.