The National Day of Prayer is today (May 4). Miraculously and sovereignly, by a joint resolution of Congress in 1952, the National Day of Prayer began. Signed into law by President Harry S. Truman, this national call to pray for America takes place on the first Thursday of each May.
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Ronnie Floyd |
The National Day of Prayer mobilizes unified, public prayer for America. Praying for our nation needs to become a major movement in our nation daily. United with others, we stand together publicly to pray for our nation.
It is incumbent on each of us who have a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ the Lord to lead the way personally and cooperatively. Therefore, please consider these actions:
Pray personally for America on the National Day of Prayer.
The scriptures call on us to pray for our nation and the leaders in our nation. Wherever you are located geographically, you can pray personally. We do not need to be spiritually asleep on this day, but alive and actively calling out to the Father for our nation.
You can also determine specific ways to pray for our nation. There are endless ways to pray for America, so ask the Spirit to reveal to you personally how you should pray. Also consider praying for America in these ways:
- Confess and repent of the sins of America
- Unity in America
- President Donald Trump
- Vice President Mike Pence
- Protection and provision for the families of President Trump and Vice President Pence
- Cabinet of the President
- Congressional members
- Military personnel
- Law enforcement and all first responders
- Churches and their pastors
- Schools and their leaders
- Spiritual revival in the church
- Spiritual awakening in America
- Acceleration and completion of the Great Commission of Jesus Christ
These are just suggestions. You can create your own list of ways to pray for America.
Participate cooperatively in the National Day of Prayer.
Praying together in a unified and public way for America is very important to build up your own faith, but it is also important to do so as a testimony before others. Therefore, participate cooperatively to pray with other Christ-followers for America.
I am participating in unified public prayer for America this year in Washington, D.C. I have the privilege to assist in this national service being held in Statuary Hall of the United States Capitol Building from 7:30-9 p.m. ET. You can stream this national service of prayer in this significant location through nationaldayofprayer.org.
Quite honestly, I am surprised at how many spiritual leaders in churches, including pastors, do not participate in a National Day of Prayer experience. Of all years in our nation, we need to stand unified as the body of Christ, calling out together cooperatively, for the sake of our nation.
The greatest need in the church in America today is spiritual revival, the manifest presence of God upon His people. Furthermore, the greatest need in America is the next Great Spiritual Awakening. I pray our generation will not die before seeing and experiencing it.
(EDITOR’S NOTE – Ronnie Floyd, senior pastor of Cross Church in northwest Arkansas, is immediate past president of the Southern Baptist Convention and host of the Life and Leadership Today podcast. This article first appeared at his website, ronniefloyd.com.)
