National Day of Prayer

Abba, Father, God,

We come to you today in prayer for our nation.  When our Founding Fathers began this great experiment, they believed that freedom was paramount to the human experience, indeed that our freedom was given to us by You.

They believed that no man should have to live in fear of another man, and that governments should rule only by the consent of the governed.

Today, Lord, we pray for those who govern for us.  We pray that they may have the strength to stand for what they believe, that they have the will to govern fairly, and that above all, they may have the heart of a servant.

When we pray for our nation, Father God, we remember those who have taken up the uniform of our armed services.  We ask for their safety and protection.

But more than that, Lord, we ask that they will diligently and honesty seek freedom for those who have had it taken from them.  We ask that they truly seek ways to love our enemies.

We recognize and mourn the fallen state of Creation.  We understand that in this imperfect world, all we have is imperfect solutions.  In the midst of all that, Lord, we ask that our leaders direct our dealings with other nations with respect to all life, including the lives of those who wish harm upon those around them.  We ask not for mere military strength, we ask not simply for an end to terrorism, we stand today and ask for Justice.  We pray that your Justice thunder down around and through us, silencing those who fill our ears with inane babble, and giving loud voices to those who need to be heard. 

We know what tension there is between Your Kingdom, and the state of Your Creation today.

We know that the world is not entirely as it was created to be.  We ask for your forgiveness for our failings in stewarding Your Creation.  We have not done the best with it, and we are truly sorry.

We pray that You would give us keen insight into how Your Creation works.  We praise you for the myriad ways You have demonstrated Your Glory to us through Your Creation.  We thank you for them, and we promise to use the knowledge we receive to better care for Your Creation.

We ask, Lord, that we may see clearly the path laid out for us by Jesus Christ.  We ask that you give us the strength and the will to choose the path of Christ over our political affiliations, over the expedient solutions, over the status quo, and over mere business as usual.

We pray, Lord God, that we recognize not only today, but every day, that you are Lord of Creation.  We desire to live so deeply into Your will that we will truly be free.

All of this, Lord, we ask for our nation, and our leaders:  that we will be a beacon of Your Hope, of Your Love, of Your Justice, for all people, and all nations.

In the Name of the Father who created and who sustains us,
And of the Son, who has redeemed us,
And of the Holy Spirit, who empowers us,

Amen.