The 2019 Pike County Bible Reading Marathon began at 7 p.m. Sunday in downtown Troy with the reading of Genesis 1:1 and concluded at 6:20 Thursday morning with the reading of Revelation 22:21: The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.

As is traditional with the Bible Reading Marathon, even after the Bible has been read in its entirety, the reading continues with the New Testament.

Troy Mayor Jason A. Reeves closed the Bible Reading Marathon reading from Matthew 24 which was a reminder that, as in the days of Noah, so the coming of the Son of man shall be.

“Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken and the other left. Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken and the other left.”
“We could not have found a better stopping place,” said Linda Adams, administrator of the hosting Salem-Troy Baptist Association. “We all need to be reminded.”

The close of the Pike County Bible Reading Marathon marked the beginning of the National Day of Prayer observance at the Stephens Gazebo.

The Rev. Chad Manion, pastor of Salem Baptist Church, opened the observance with prayer and special music by Melissa Manion.

Manion said it is the hand of God that guides the world.

“God’s plan is greater than man’s plan,” he said. “Nothing takes God by surprise. God sits on the throne and blesses the nation that does his will. We are nothing without God.”

Manion said America is a blessed nation but that blessing could be taken away.

“President Ronald Reagan said that ‘if we ever forget that we are One Nation Under God, then we will be a nation gone under.’ Today is a reminder of that and doing God’s will begins with Christians.”

Manion said, Christians should begin a movement, a revival, that would sweep across the land and bring people to Christ.

“We should be in prayer for forgiveness of our sins and for godly leaders to guide and strengthen us. We should abide by the 10 Commandments that God set before us. We should love one another. If we do, God will bless our nation. If we disobey God, we will not receive His blessings. God is clear on what will happen if we ignore his word. We will be a nation gone under.”

Manion said too often in too many places people are turning away from God’s word, away from the Commandments He sent down.”

He pointed to the National Day of Prayer as an example of how America is turning away from God.

“Today is set aside for prayer, for a National Day of Prayer,” he said. “All across the country, people are called to pray for our nation. But Troy is one of only seven cities in Alabama that has an observance. One in seven. That is a sad testimony to what we believe in Alabama.”

Following the program, Manion called on those in attendance to form small prayer groups and pray for America and for its leaders on the local to national level.

Polly Laird, New Life Christian, assistant director, brought a group of students to the “National Day of Prayer” observance.

“It is important for young people to come and hear God’s word read and to be a part of a national observance that acknowledges the importance of prayer in asking for and receiving God’s blessing on our nation,” Laird said.