CBN | ‘Pray Like It Really Matters’: Dr. Ronnie Floyd’s Urgent Message on the National Day of Prayer

Today millions of Americans across the country will take part in the National Day of Prayer.

The public prayer day was created in 1952 by a joint resolution of Congress and signed into law by President Harry S. Truman. In 1988, the law was unanimously amended by both the House and the Senate and signed into law by President Ronald Reagan on Thursday, May 5, 1988, designating the first Thursday of May as a day of national prayer. Every president since 1952 has signed a National Day of Prayer proclamation.

This year’s theme is “Love One Another,” taken from the words of Jesus in John 13:34, “Love one another, just as I have loved you.”

Dr. Ronnie Floyd, president of the task force that mobilizes millions to participate in the of prayer, explained why the theme is key to revival in America.

“It really breaks my heart on where our country is,” Floyd said in an interview with CBN News. “We’re so divided. We don’t show respect for one another. We’re not treating people even close to the way Jesus would want to treat people and would want us to treat others. And we need to understand that love is the real Christian badge of discipleship. And even Jesus said there in John 13, he said that by our love will people know that we are disciples of Jesus Christ.”

He went on to share how Christians can practically live out the love theme.

“I believe first of all we exemplify the life of Christ, the character of Christ, we treat people with the highest respect,” said Floyd. “I believe that we share God’s love wherever we go when God opens the opportunity. We’re able to have conversations about the power of the gospel of Jesus Christ. It’s us living out the gospel every day, whether it’s in relationship to showing compassion in certain matters, certain areas or certain people. It’s churches standing up and being what it needs to be.”

“It’s people living out their Christian life wherever they are. Whether they be in politics. Whether they be in media. Whether they be in education. Whether they be in business. It’s so important that we live out the gospel in every way, everywhere we go.” he said.

Floyd also shared that spiritual revival is the greatest need in America and the church today.

“I know that government cannot fix us, and politics cannot heal us,” said Floyd. “And I also know that it’s been decades since the last move of God in a great way across this nation. We’re overdue. And the church needs to rise up and pray like never before. Pray like it really matters. Pray like we really believe God. And let’s trust the Lord for the next great spiritual awakening in the United States. That’s what the greatest need is in America today.”

He said he hopes for the day when prayer for America becomes more than a once a year ritual saying, “I really want us to build a conscientious commitment that everyday needs to be a day when we pray for America in some capacity.”

He added, “Also to instill faith again in America that God still works, and faith in God that God is able to overcome any obstacle this nation faces and any obstacle that we face.”

“And then also that we might be able to take what happens in prayer gatherings and observances by the thousands upon thousands and thousands on this National Day of Prayer, we are able to literally see a ‘love one another’ movement literally race across this country and that soon we will be able to experience the next great move of the Lord Jesus Christ in this nation,” he said.