Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee proclaims final day of prayer and fasting of term

Tennessee’s Republican Gov. Bill Lee has proclaimed the final day of Prayer and Fasting of his term, encouraging residents to join him in seeking God’s grace and wisdom. 

In an X post Monday, Lee proclaimed Friday, Sept. 18, as a voluntary Day of Prayer and Fasting. He called on Tennesseans to “take a moment to humble ourselves before the Lord, seek His wisdom, & ask for continued grace & favor over TN & her people.” 

The proclamation, signed on Sept. 1, begins by acknowledging “God’s sovereignty and the need for God’s grace over our state and our nation.” The document states: “WHEREAS, we walk humbly together with God in hope so that we may act with justice, kindness and love, no matter the circumstance; and WHEREAS, we seek forgiveness for our many transgressions so that our hearts and our minds may be renewed.” 

“WHEREAS, Scripture tells us that the beginning of wisdom is the fear of the Lord, and the Lord gives wisdom freely to those who ask for it; and WHEREAS, the people of Tennessee acknowledge our rich blessings, our deep transgressions, the complex challenges ahead, and the need to pause, to humble ourselves and to seek God’s guidance for the days ahead,” the proclamation continues. 

Lee, who is in his eighth and final year in office, has called for a Day of Prayer, Humility and Fasting during each of his years as governor of the Volunteer State. The first proclamation he issued established Oct. 10, 2019, as a Day of Prayer, Humility and Fasting and included references to the geography of Tennessee, specifically highlighting the “towering Smoky Mountains in the east to the mighty Mississippi River in the west, and every remarkable scene in between.”

The 2019 proclamation also listed specific examples of “transgressions” that needed “forgiveness,” including “acts of discrimination, oppression, and injustice” as well as “inaction caused by greed, pride, and indifference.” The 2020 proclamation established Oct. 15, 2020, as a Day of Prayer, Humility and Fasting and acknowledged the COVID-19 pandemic, which was affecting the state and the entire United States at the time. 

The six subsequent proclamations contained nearly identical language, but the date varied from year to year, with the Day of Prayer, Humility and Fasting taking place as late as Oct. 13 in 2023 and as early as Sept. 12 last year. 

Lee, who is term-limited by the Tennessee Constitution and cannot seek a third term, has spoken about his Christian faith in the past. During remarks at the National Prayer Breakfast earlier this year, Lee discussed the grief he experienced following the death of his first wife in 2000. 

Shortly after his first wife’s death, Lee contemplated what she would say to him as well as their grief-stricken children while standing alone with her grave marker, which was engraved with a Celtic cross and the Bible verse Proverbs 31.

“The thought came to me that what she would say is what God would say and is saying: ‘There are very few things in life that matter, and we should be about them,’” he recalled. “I didn’t know what the days held for me ahead, but I knew that I would ask God for the steps to move forward.”

“Sometimes following God doesn’t always mean that it’s going to work out the way that we want it to,” Lee acknowledged. “After all, Jesus did say that ‘in this world, you will have many troubles,’ but He also said, ‘I will overcome the world.’”