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Fear. Anger. Rage. Anxiety. Sadness. Restlessness. Hopelessness. 

It seems our country has been hijacked by emotions. Remember those old-fashioned glass thermometers? I envision the red mercury line rising upward until the glass shatters.

The times we are living could incite paralyzing fear and hopelessness IF we did not know Jesus. But we do know Jesus and His church is never without hope. Perfect love casts out all fear! (1 Corinthians 13:13; 1 John 4:18)

What should Christians be doing as our nation appears to be unraveling at the seams?

Dear ones, our mission has not changed.

We are still the army of God equipped with His love and armor. Included in the armor from Ephesians 6:10-18 is the power of prayer.

The Lord placed upon my heart to fast, pray, and ask others to join me last week. But to be honest with you, I had no idea where to begin. I had nothing! That is, until I remembered this:

“In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to prayfor, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.” Romans 8:26-27 NIV

And the Holy Spirit was faithful. He guided me to start with the person in the mirror first.

“Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life.” Psalm 139: 23-24 NLT

Next, I got on Facebook live and we prayed (some fasted and prayed) together at the same time for three days. Below are two of the prayers we prayed together. Please tweak and make these prayers your own. Let the Holy Spirit guide you. They are only a guide. I hope you find them helpful.

A Prayer for Our Nation
Father God, As we face these uncertain times in our nation and the world, we ask you, Lord, to dwell among us. We reach out to You in humility that you would bring healing to our nation.
“Then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land.” 2 Chronicles 7:14
You are not a faraway God, you are close and involved on a personal level because You care about each person—no matter the race, gender, economic status, or anything else. You knitted together each individual and still love us equally the same. There is nothing we could do to earn more of Your love. You loved us so much that You sent Jesus to die for all of our sins.  And we are forever grateful. 
We trust our nation to Your loving care, Lord. Send Your Spirit to touch the hearts of our nation’s leaders.
“I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them. Pray in this way for kings and all who are in authority so that we can live peaceful and quiet lives marked by godliness and dignity.” 1 Timothy 2:1-5
We pray that our hearts and our nation would pursue righteousness rather than sin. 
“Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin condemns any people.” Proverbs 14:34.
We come against the enemy and his schemes, the evil rulers and authorities, and the mighty powers in this dark world. The devil comes to kill, steal, and, destroy, but we have the power to push him back and take back the territory he has gained. 
We come against and cast out the spirit of fear in the name of Jesus and speak peace over our homes, cities, states, nation, and world. We come against violence and speak love. We come against greed and speak God’s generosity. We pray the fruit of the spirit over this land: Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
We lift up those who have lost jobs and business and pray for restoration. We pray comfort over those who are mourning. We pray salvation for those who do not know Jesus. 
Father, give us Your light, truth, and love. Give us the courage to shine for You. Show us where our hearts need to change to better reflect who You are in the world around us for Your Kingdom. 
May we not just be hearers of the Word but doers. Show us how to love generously and help those in need in our country.
“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility, value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests, but each of you to the interests of others.” Philippians 2:3-4
As we seek first Your Kingdom, may your will be done in our nation 
“Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” Matthew 6:9-10
We ask these things in the mighty name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Printable PDF of both prayers: Prayers-A Prayer for Our Nation, Be Doers of the Word and News Media Prayer

A Prayer to Be Doers of the Word and for News Media
Heavenly Father, as we pray together for our nation, we realize the need to pray for our own hearts. We ask that you open our eyes to areas that need your touch and change. We desire to grow more like Your Son, Jesus so that we will represent Him well to our world.
God, in a world full of noise, rhetoric, and media, may we move beyond lofty words to quiet ourselves and hear Your will.
“Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life.” Psalm 139: 23-24 NLT
Give us boldness to act on your call to justice, especially when no one is watching or applauding. Show us ways we can serve in our churches, local communities, and wherever You would send us. Give us eyes to see the needs of others. 
“But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves.  For if you listen to the word and don’t obey, it is like glancing at your face in a mirror. You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like. But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don’t forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it.” James 1:22-25 NLT
Lord, we continue to pray for our nation and its leaders, from President Trump and Vice President Pence to all who have leadership roles. But today we focus on news media.
We pray for honest, reliable, accurate journalism, blogs, radio shows, and programming. Rise up people working in journalism with integrity who are committed to fairness and the truth. We pray for Christians working in traditional and non-traditional media alike, who care deeply about what is wrong in society, that will create content that shines a light on what’s going on. We also pray for Christian media to become more influential and relevant in today’s culture.
Father, inspire good leadership in newsrooms and productions in all media platforms. Rise up Christians with a passion for media to influence positive change. We pray for advertisers and the necessary means to pay journalists well.
We also ask that you expose the lies, yellow journalism—those who Inflate events for sensation, neglecting others, stereotyping, or being disproportionately negative. Open the eyes of Americans to see them clearly for what they are. Give us the courage to stand up for necessary changes to bring journalism back to the obligation of truth-telling using reliable and accurate facts without bias. 
God, you are the ultimate storyteller. You know the importance of media, good literature, and movies. We ask that You expose and dispose of the liars and abusers of their power within journalism and put in place individuals who are truth-tellers with excellence and integrity. Protect those who are doing just that. 
Thank you for this country and the freedoms we have such as the freedom of the press. 
Guide us as we continue to stand for the inherent dignity of all people and speak out against injustice, racism, and love each other deeply. 
We pray as Christ has taught us: “Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” (Matt 6:10). 
In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen

Thank you for standing together in prayer. May God bless you, your family, and the United States of America.

Much love,
Beckie♥


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