Dr. Ronnie Floyd, President of the National Day of Prayer, announced last week that the theme of the 2018 observance will be “Pray America – Unity,” based upon Ephesians 4:3, which challenges believers to mobilize unified public prayer for America, “Making every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.”

“When you look at a possible theme for the 2018 NDOP, have you ever asked yourself, ‘What is God saying to our country right now?’ ‘What is His heart for this nation?’ ‘What is His call for this nation?’” Floyd challenged a gathering of leaders from across the country last week.

The pastor and former Southern Baptist Convention president noted several signs of the times, including natural disasters, racial unrest, the worst mass murder in U.S. history, and “political division and polarization that spews with vitriol language that has divided this nation beyond anything that any of us have ever seen in our generation.”

“We have to admit this: America is broken. Division is undeniable. Racial tension is alarming. Lawlessness abounds. Reconciliation appears impossible. Government cannot fix it. Politics will not heal it. And the spirit of the age is ruling all over this nation,” Floyd said.

But he noted that “the culture and its dark, hopeless condition is the perfect backdrop to call America to unity.”

“There is not one person that has lived in this nation today or the last 10 years that would ever say this country is united together. Enough is enough,” Floyd continued. “And what we need to do as the people of God is to get our own act together … so the nation has a shot of being together. Could it be that the nation is reflecting the condition of the Church, and the condition of our lives? And that we need to be the ones to make every effort?”

Floyd urged believers across the nation to do everything they can to call people in the U.S. to unite in public prayer.

“Unity: This is the heart of God for this nation,” he said.

The National Day of Prayer 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.

Visit www.NationalDayofPrayer.org for more information, including how to sponsor an event in your community, how to become a volunteer, how to order resources to help promote an event in your area, and how to support the National Day of Prayer financially.

Read more at National Day of Prayer 2018 Theme Unveiled.