Praying for America

 

Beautiful graphic by Abby at Little Birdie Blessings

 Often, it falls to my hubby to change the wording on our church's sign out by the road.  We usually brainstorm together about what Scriptures or other inspiring words to put there.  Throughout 2020 we haven't changed the sign as often as we ordinarily might, because there seemed a need for the particular Scriptures that were posted to remain in place for awhile.  We've included verses pointing to God as our refuge and to His sovereignty; we've used Scriptures pointing us as a nation to Him; we've shared that God has not given us the spirit of fear but of power, of love, and of a sound mind.  

In the weeks leading up to the election we pondered what words to use on the sign that we had not already put there.  As you might guess, space is limited.  We finally settled on "Pray for America" on one side of the sign.  On the other side we placed these words from the meaningful song "America the Beautiful":

"America! America!  God shed His grace on thee!" 

If our country ever needed God's grace, it is now.  I have come to believe that we are engaged in a struggle between good and evil -- a battle for the hearts and minds of our people.  Our liberty is truly at stake, friends.  This is not a battle between political candidates or between Democrats and Republicans.  It is a battle between liberty and socialism and quite likely communism.

Mr. T and I are praying that evil will be exposed, that Americans will see the seriousness of our situation and that believers will pray faithfully for our beloved country.

For many years, I've prayed for our country every Thursday.  I've shared about this before, but for those who may have missed it I will share the basics again.  I begin by thanking God for the blessing of living in a free country.  I thank Him for the freedom to worship, the freedom to share my faith with others, the privilege of voting, and the privilege of living in a country with so many natural resources, such natural beauty, and a high standard of living.    I then pray for our president and other leaders, our men and women in the military, our judges and courts, my state and governor, and my town.

The printed page you see across the bottom of my prayer journal is from a pdf titled How to Pray for America.  It's a free download at Revive Our Hearts, and I have found it very helpful in praying for our country as a whole.   In 2016, these requests were printed in our church bulletin, and I clipped them out to use in praying for our country on a regular basis.  Below is a scan:

 

You will notice that one of these requests is for truth in the media.  Thankfully, there are a few independent news outlets where one can hear the truth.  We are not hearing it from the mainstream networks.  Another important request on this list is that people will be able to see truth, that error would be exposed, and that people with wicked agendas will be made weak.  And that God would overcome the enemies of truth and righteousness.  The Scripture verses for this request are pertinent:

"Give us help from trouble: for vain is the help of man.  

"Through God we shall do valiantly: for He it is that shall tread down our enemies."
(Psalm 60:11-12)

 If you are not in the habit of praying for America, may I encourage you to do so?

  "America the Beautiful" also includes these powerful words:

"America! America!
God mend thine every flaw.
Confirm thy soul in self-control,
Thy liberty in law!"

I've often been reminded that truly, God is the only One who can mend our flaws -- but we have to want that to happen and we need to beseech God that it will happen. Our flaws have never been more obvious, it seems, and never have I been more aware of how fragile our liberties are and how easily they can be snatched away.

   Let's take time today to beseech God to help us "mend our flaws" as a nation, and to thank Him for the privilege of living in this land.  Thanksgiving is the perfect time to do that, it seems to me.