One of the joys I have as an elder of my local church is to lead God’s people in prayer. It’s a time of intercession for the church, a time of modeling prayer for members, a time of giving voice to our collective hearts. Every Sunday, our church focuses on one nation, usually whatever ends up falling on Operation World’s schedule. This past Sunday, ahead of America’s 250th anniversary, I set aside time to pray for our own nation. My prayer wasn’t meant to be an exhaustive theology of prayer or cover every single possible theme, but rather a humble attempt to lead our church in giving thanks for our country. Below is an adapted version of what I led our church in praying. Whether you wish to use this prayer personally or adapt it for your own purposes, I pray that it might help you give thanks on America’s anniversary.
Father, we thank you for our own nation as it celebrates its 250th anniversary today. You have determined allotted periods and boundaries of place, and you have allowed us to make our dwelling here (Acts 17:26). Even as we are citizens of the City of God, we pray that we would be faithful pilgrims in the City of Man.
Thank you for the many freedoms that we enjoy as Americans—the freedom to assemble, the freedom to worship, the freedom to express our beliefs in the public square. Lord, use these freedoms not to lull us into complacency but to make us even more zealous witnesses for Christ.
For all the blessings we enjoy in this nation, Lord, we also recognize the challenges our country faces. The loss of Christianity’s influence in the last several decades has meant an even more hostile response to those who hold traditional Christian teaching. We’ve seen greater rifts in society with competing values that seem irreconcilable. We want to take advantage of any way to influence the broader culture, including the wise stewardship of our votes and the passing of laws that uphold the good and restrain evil.
To that end, we pray that you would raise more, even from our own midst, who could serve in political office, law enforcement, judicial oversight, and military ranks. Christians make the best citizens, so enable us to live out the call that the apostle Peter gave to first-century Christians in Rome: “Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor” (1 Pet. 2:17). Enable us to lead peaceful and quiet lives, godly and dignified in every way (1 Tim. 2:2).
But above and beyond, Lord, we long for revival in our nation. We want to see changed hearts, not simply restrained actions. Few of us are going to be in positions of great cultural or national influence, but we know that you often work through our small spheres of influence—our homes, our neighborhoods, our church, our city. So bring revival here and change our hearts to treasure you above all. And as we set aside time for Fourth of July celebrations today, enable us to relish the gift of calling this imperfect yet good nation home.
In Jesus’s name, amen!
The Gospel Coalition