WASHINGTON (AFP) — US President George W. Bush said Thursday he had found comfort in prayer over the past seven years and that he hoped the world would one day agree to set aside an “International Day of Prayer.”

“I think it makes sense to hope that one day there may be an international day of prayer,” Bush, a Methodist who often invokes God in his speeches, said as he marked the US national day of prayer.

“It will be a chance for people of faith around the world to stop at the same time to pause to praise an Almighty. It will be a time when we could prayer together for a world that sees the promise of the Psalms made real: ‘Your love is ever before me, and I walk continually in your truth,'” he said.

Bush said he and First Lady Laura Bush had prayed throughout the seven years of his presidency, but singled out the September 11, 2001 terrorist strikes as a time when he sought divine guidance.

“Over the last seven years, our country has faced many trials. And time and time again we have turned to prayer and found strength and resilience,” he said.

Text from AFP