Thoughts on Praying for the Nation

No matter where you live, God has a plan and desire for your nation

Our nation and world are in a vulnerable place these days, making it important that believers carry them in their hearts and prayer life. Praying for the nation is something we should all consider before God, asking for his guidance, and we should not be surprised if God's views are different than our own. Knowing that, we should be prayerful, thoughtful, and in full listening mode as we seek His response.

Praying for the nation, its leaders, and its people, and holding them in our hearts before God, is a responsibility both as believers and citizens

There is so much going on: cultural and moral foundations are shattering, people are abandoning the traditional church in droves, and godly leadership at all levels is both a concern and critical need. Ideological beliefs separate us on virtually every issue with little concern for civility, honor, truth, or trust. Yes, there is plenty to pray about, but we sometimes question our ability to pray correctly, how to approach these issues before God, or even our standing on such matters. We are citizens, we are concerned, and we have opinions but are sometimes timid in our approach because we feel we have no voice. To that I would say that we do have a voice before God, and that He knows what is in His heart for the nation.

Praying God's Will

We've been taught to pray but sometimes struggle with how to pray. Lacking clear guidance from God and with no lack of outside advice from those around us, be they agenda driven voices or simply a gaggle of competing opinions, it can be hard to know what is right. Possibly, what is right may even sometimes be unknowable. How do we pray then?

Let God know what is in our heart. Begin by pouring out what is inside of you with full transparency, expressing what concern is bringing you to him in prayer and why you are concerned.

Surrender our opinions and feelings. In doing this, we acknowledge that we do not know the whole story or have all of the facts, and that God's ways are not necessarily our own. It is an act of humility before God, honoring His position and desire above all else.

Remind God of his love for the nation and its peoples. If we believe that God's heart is broken over our current condition, then we must know that he is beyond disappointed. Today, we are reminded of God's wrath in Old Testament times¹ and wonder how we are not judged and punished as they were. Those stories, however, also remind us that God loves his people, has compassion, and is willing to change direction when the people who love him and the nation call out to him in confession and repentance, seeking his mercy as they remind God of his love for them.²

Ask God to remember his original intent for the nation. This is not only a reminder to God but to us as well, recalling his purposes in founding the nation, the godly role it has sometimes played, and how the nation responded to His call. America's motto is E Pluribus Unum, or "Out of many, one." We are far from that today, but it is fully within God's power to restore us to that harmony. We are a better nation, a better people, and a better family when united in His spirit and serving His cause.

Ask God to restore his desires and intents for the nation to the hearts of its leaders and people. When we plead with broken and contrite hearts, God listens. When we set aside our own opinions and desires as we seek to know and understand his own, He listens. When we demonstrate that our desire is for His righteousness to guide our leaders and citizens because it lives in their hearts, He listens. We demonstrate this desire is real by loving and serving our fellow man, by seeking God's truth and will above man's, and by walking in truth and righteousness as we go about our daily lives no matter our station.

Ask God what His plan is for your own life in restoring the nation. This is where the rubber meets the road for each of us. It is one thing to complain and condemn, another entirely to stand and act in truth and humility every day and in every moment as we go about our lives. For some this may mean raising a godly family and for others confronting ungodliness in their family. For some it may mean taking principled stands in the workplace and bearing the consequences in God's grace. For some it may mean getting involved in educational, governmental, or societal systems to advocate for and lead a return to God's values. Whatever the call, enter into it prayerfully and with humility, seeking God's direction and provision. A very wise man once told me that we know something is God's will when desire, opportunity, and God's providence come together.

Thank God for his love, care, and provision for the nation and yourself. In acknowledging and submitting to these we cement our partnership with the holy. We admit to ourselves that we do not have the answers, God does, and that we do not have the power, God does. In surrendering our own opinions and power before Him, we open our hearts to what is in His heart, allowing us to walk in His Light as disciples to the nation.

It is not about winning a contest that will soon be repeated, it is about a heart's desire and God-ordained steps in a new direction toward God's original purpose and intent for the nation. It isn't about us. It is, always, about Him. Our call is to live lives that honor His desires, and that is something we can all pray about.

Shalom

1. Exodus 15:7; Deuteronomy 29:23; Isaiah 66:15; Jeremiah 44

2. Exodus 32:14; Amos 7:3,6; Jonah 3:10; Jeremiah 18:8