What a week we’ve just completed in our life together as American citizens. From the Super Bowl on Sunday night to the Iowa Caucuses on Monday night to the State of the Union Address on Tuesday night to the final vote on the impeachment trial Wednesday, the month of February, usually a mundane stretch of winter, started off anything but ordinary.
The controversies and disappointments, surprises and wins or losses have been unsettling. If you are like me, you may feel a bit off balance like you’ve spent too much time at Adventureland on rides with the names of Tornado, Outlaw, and Dragon. It would be really easy at this point to regress into a commentary on personal political views, but I will try my best not to do that. We all have friends, family members, or co-workers who agree or disagree with us on topics from who should have won the Super Bowl down to Mitt Romney’s vote on the impeachment. We can laugh or lose our tempers, both of which I’ve been tempted to do over the past few days.
The unpredictability of this past week can leave us feeling like we are about to lose our equilibrium as we attempt to stand upright on a slippery slope. The adventure is only beginning, and we must find ways to stay focused on what is true, what is just, and what (or Who) will never change. As I pondered how to approach this week’s devotional, the best idea I had was to give you tools that you can use over and over again in the weeks and months to come. The remainder of this devotional writing is a collection of Scriptures and prayers that the Lord has impressed upon my heart for times like these.
I’ll start with Psalm 37. Regardless of who the bad guys and villains are in your political narrative, Psalm 37:1-9 gives us good solid ground to stand on when injustice appears prevalent and we don’t always know who to believe:
Do not fret because of those who are evil or be envious of those who do wrong;
For like the grass they will soon wither,
Like green plants they will soon die away.
Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.
Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.
Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him and he will do this:
He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn, your vindication like the noonday sun.
Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him;
Do not fret when people succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes.
Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret—it leads only to evil.
For those who are evil will be destroyed, but those who hope in the Lord will inherit the land.
Psalm 25:1-7 is a good reassurance of God’s remembrance of those who trust in him:
In you, Lord my God, I put my trust.
I trust in you; do not let me be put to shame, nor let my enemies triumph over me.
No one who hopes in you will ever be put to shame,
But shame will come on those who are treacherous without cause.
Show me your ways, Lord, teach me your paths.
Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior,
and my hope is in you all day long.
Remember, Lord, your great mercy and love, for they are from of old.
Do not remember the sins of my youth and my rebellious ways;
According to your love remember me,
For you, Lord, are good.
Psalm 46 is a favorite bedrock Psalm calling for peace in the midst of turmoil:
God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,
Though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging.
There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
The holy place where the Most High dwells.
God is within her, she will not fall;
God will help her at break of day.
Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall;
He lifts his voice, the earth melts.
The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.
Come and see what the Lord has done, the desolations he has brought on the earth.
He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth.
He breaks the bow and shatters the spear;
He burns the shields with fire.
He says, “Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth.”
The Lord Almighty is with us;
The God of Jacob is our fortress.
Sometimes it is hard to know how to pray for the government. We don’t always know how to read people’s words and actions, or what to take seriously from news reports. But, we function because of God’s mercy. We live and breathe because of his grace. Our initiatives, decisions, and organizations succeed because we allow him space to work in them.
Here are some prayers from the Book of Common Prayer to guide us in prayer for peace, for courts of justice, for civil authorities, for an election, and for enemies:
A Prayer for the Peace of the World
Almighty God, from whom all thoughts of truth and peace proceed: Kindle, we pray, in the hearts of all people the true love of peace, and guide with your pure and peaceable wisdom those who take counsel for the nations of the earth, that in tranquility your kingdom may go forward, till the earth is filled with the knowledge of your love; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
A Prayer for Courts of Justice
Almighty God, you sit on your throne giving righteous judgment. We humbly ask you to bless all courts of justice and all magistrates in this land; give them a spirit of wisdom and understanding, that fearing no power but yours alone, they may discern the truth and impartially administer the law; through him who shall come to be our Judge, your Son our Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
A Prayer for Civil Authorities
Almighty God, our heavenly Father, send down on those who hold public office the spirit of wisdom, charity, and justice; that with steadfast purpose they may faithfully serve in their offices to promote the well-being of all people; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
A Prayer for an Election
Almighty God, to whom we must account for all our powers and privileges: Guide and direct, we humbly pray, the minds of those who are called to elect fit persons to serve. Grant that in the exercise of our choice we may promote your glory, and the welfare of this nation. This we ask for the sake of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen
A Prayer for Our Enemies
O God, the Creator of all, whose Son commanded us to love our enemies: Lead them and us from prejudice to truth; deliver them and us from hatred, cruelty, and revenge; and in your good time enable us all to stand reconciled before you in Jesus Christ; in whose Name we pray. Amen
I encourage you to print this devotional and keep it accessible so that you can use these Scriptures and prayers to create ever increasing space for God to work in the decisions that need to be made, and the vision that needs to get clarified as the nation we love journeys into the year of 2020.