A Prayer for our Country

Dear Heavenly Father, Almighty God, Creator and Sustainer of the Universe and the world we live in,

With much respect, I bow in reverence before Your Holiness.

Feeling that I am little more than a speck, I ask You to help our country and our world.

You sent Jesus Your Son to show us Your love, and to teach us about life. You sent Him to save us from our sins, and we have many.

We as a people have largely rejected Your ways and Your Word.

We have placed our faith in people and things and riches instead of You.

We have replaced your Life with material possessions and entertainment.

Rather than trusting You, we have come to rely on ourselves, on our government, or on others who fall so short.

Rather than having faith in Your goodness and provision, we have become greedy and selfish.

Rather than worshiping You, we have made money and power and our feelings more important than You.

Rather than honoring You for creating the magnificence of the universe, we have lifted up our puny, meager accomplishments of science and knowledge and we have made our efforts into gods that we worship.

Rather than seeing the infinite detail with which You have created this world, and thanking You for such precision and diversity, we glory in our thinking that we have figured out creation, and the origin of the universe, and everything that You created.

Right now, our country, as well as the world, finds itself in the throes of such polarization and contention that it seems we face civil war. Here in the supposed richest country in the world, we have incurred the highest debt of any country in history, and we see precious little to show for it except waste and needless extravagance.

Rather than working together for the good of all, we see those with wealth scrambling for more wealth. We see poor people destroying their own neighbors in order to send some sort of message. We see people losing jobs and homes and lives because of poor decisions and reckless policies and political wrangling.

Rather than loving one another, we choose sides, we pick teams, we collect ourselves in tribes to war against each other, in pointless and disheartening fighting and wars.

Without Your Love, we are poor and wretched and weak and completely hopeless. You alone can give us the deepest and only reason for living - that is, to love You and to love one another.

Lord God, help us to turn our hearts to You. Help us to know Your ways. Help us to grow in your wisdom and love. Help us to treat our fellow man with kindness and care and compassion.

Father God, forgive us for how we have rejected You and turned from You.

Help us to know You and Your Love. Fill us with Your Love that we might know You, follow Your ways, and love one another as You desire!

In the precious and holy name of Jesus, Amen.