A Prayer for a Divided Nation
Father, my heart grieves for our country. You tell us that any kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and a house divided against itself will fall (Luke 11:17). Our country is so divided, and it pains me to think of our nation falling. But I know we cannot stand without you at the center.
We know we must honor you, recognize you as Lord and Savior. We must acknowledge our sins and failures. We must be willing to surrender to you, to follow the plans you have for us. As a whole, our country has fallen away, turned our backs on you.
But, for the sake of the faithful remnant, we call on you to be merciful to us. You know there are those who continue to choose you, who continue to seek your face. You know there are faithful ones who desire to honor you, to point the world back to you. For the sake of the faithful ones, hear our prayers and save our nation.
This world continues to grow darker. We know the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing (1 Corinthians 1:18), but we cling to the cross. We know it is only because of the gift of your Son, Jesus Christ, that we have forgiveness of sins and can enter into your presence.
As the world gets darker, we have an opportunity to let our lights shine brighter, to let your light shine through us to illuminate the darkness. May we reflect your goodness and grace for all the world to see. May we be purified as silver so the world sees an accurate reflection of you.
This country has become such a hotbed of dissension. I pray that we, as Christians, would lead the way in putting aside differences and learning to listen to those with whom we disagree. May we remember to be quick to listen and slow to speak and slow to become angry because we know that man’s anger does not bring about the righteous life that you desire. Help us to get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept your word planted in us, knowing it will save us (James 1:19-20).
Help us to be wise in the way we conduct ourselves, in the way we live our lives. May we remember it is to one’s glory to overlook an offense (Proverbs 19:11).
May we set our hearts and minds on things above, not on earthly temporal matters. Because we are your chosen people, holy and dearly loved, help us clothe ourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. May we bear with each other and forgive one another… as the Lord forgave us. And over all these virtues may we put on love, which binds us all together in perfect unity (Colossians 3:12-14).
I pray we would focus completely on you so your perfect peace will rule in our hearts, since as members of one body we were called to peace. And help us to be thankful. Let the message of Christ dwell among us richly, as we sing to God with gratitude in our hearts. And whatever we do, whether in word or deed, may we do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him (Colossians 3:15-17).
In this day and age where people freely say whatever they think, whatever they feel, I pray we as Christ-followers would remember the importance of speaking words of life. Help us remember that if we consider ourselves religious and yet do not keep a tight rein on our tongues, we deceive ourselves, and our religion is worthless. May we show the world true religion that you accept as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep ourselves from being polluted by the world (James 1:19-20).
Don’t let our faith be dead. Instead, help us show our faith by our actions. May we reach out to those who are hurting, those who are in need. May we be the hands and feet of Christ, meeting the physical needs of those around us. May we share your love by giving to those around us, by proving our faith through our actions. Never let us be all talk with no action.
Father, we long to see your face, to see your hand of grace and mercy over us. See our hearts as we bow before you. See our longing to know you better. May your remnant, your people, who are called by your name, humble ourselves and pray and seek your face and turn from our wicked ways, so you will hear from heaven, and forgive our sin and heal our land (2 Chronicles 7:14).
Help us all to put away politics, to join forces together around our new president, to pray your blessings over him. Pour out your spirit of wisdom and reconciliation to our leaders. Give our president a heart that longs to seek you, to follow you. Give him a desire to sit with those who think differently, who have different agendas, and to listen, to find common ground, to find ways to bridge the gap and move forward together.
We pray for unity for our country, for its chosen leaders. We don’t always understand why things happen as they do, but we do know you are still in control. May we commit to praying for our leaders, for our country, each and every day. May we commit to doing our part to bring unity wherever we are.
We are yours. Hear our prayers, our pleas, for healing in our land. We know it can only come through you, through your mercies which are new every morning. Great is your faithfulness!
