Pray for our Nation

I used to enjoy driving by a certain house on a main road not far from where I live. It might have once been a parsonage, as it sits across the street from a church. At the end of the driveway to this house was a flat rock with a special message painted on it: “Jesus loves you.” I made a point to read that message whenever I drove by, as it was a nice reminder.

One day I noticed that the rock was still there, but the message was gone. It had been covered over with black paint. The house had new owners–a business of some sort. Their web address was posted on the awning over the front door. When I got home, I logged onto their website to see what kind of business they were. They are proponents of the Human Potential Movement, a movement rooted in humanism and existentialism, and now often associated with New Age teaching.

This to me serves as the perfect picture of what’s happening in our country today. Christianity is being dismissed as a religion of intolerance and narrow-mindedness. In its place are springing up tailor-made religions that emphasize one’s own divinity, realized through rituals of self-actualization.

As Scripture says, “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death” (Proverbs 14:12).

Please join me in praying for our nation.

Prayer for the Nation 2007
written by Dr. Charles R. Swindol

Almighty God,
We pause to reflect on Your character as we seek wisdom for such a time as this.
* In these unsafe days, You remain all-powerful and able to protect;
* In these uncertain times, You remain all-knowing, leading us aright;
* In these unprecedented events we’re facing You remain absolutely sovereign.
Our times are in Your hands.
Therefore, our dependence on You is total, not partial
            …our need for Your forgiveness is constant
            …our gratitude for Your grace is profound
            …our love for You is deep.
We ask that You guard and guide our President and all who serve the people of these United States.
May uncompromising integrity mark their lives.
We also ask that You unite us as truly “one nation, under God.” May genuine humility return to our ranks.
And may that blend of integrity and humility heal our land.
In our Lord’s name we pray,
Amen.