Forgive Us, O Lord: A Prayer for American Politics

Forgive us O Lord, for being divisive rather than working to build unity.

Forgive us O Lord, for striving to be right more than striving to be kind.

Forgive us O Lord, when we desire to be understood more than to understand.

Forgive us O Lord, for placing our hope in a person, a system, a government - rather than in you alone.

Forgive us O Lord, for complaining about politics rather than thanking you for our freedom.

Forgive us O Lord, when we use our mouths - and our email forwards - to tear down "the other."

Forgive us O Lord, for spending more time and energy thinking about the Empire than the kingdom.

Forgive us O Lord for speaking poorly and wishing ill will on another candidate.

Forgive us O Lord, when we are known more for following a party than for following the Risen Christ.

Forgive us O Lord, for claiming that God is only on "our side."

Forgive us O Lord, for claiming and proclaiming that one political party completely and accurately represents the politics of Jesus.

Forgive us O Lord, when we forget that the heart of the king is in your hands.

Forgive us O Lord, for being more excited to speak to others about our candidate than about our Savior.

Forgive us O Lord, when we think this prayer is for someone else we know and not for ourselves.

Give us grace to treat others with dignity and respect, even in the midst of our differences.
Give us wisdom - not just with what we say and do, but how we say them and do them - so that we may not represent our political party, but that we may represent the one who has given us True Life.

Amen.

Comments

[amy]

Amen.

[Melanie Larson]

JR, I can't tell you how much I appreciate this. I've been thinking about Romans 14 and how it relates to the way we Christians feel about our political issues, and what it means that we are all the weaker brother in Christ.

[Kelly]

Thanks for this JR...it really captures the angst I feel as a follower of Christ who does care, has a distinct domestic and world view that are at odds with each other, and has NO desire to defend/offend etc. in the process...I both admire and feel skeptical towards those who claim genuine clarity but I do not count myself among them.

[John Bailie]

J.R.

Thanks for your great prayer. Too true. I've really struggled to keep my eyes on what's most important during this political season. This helps tremendously. One of your ex-parishioners at Calvary forwarded this to me. Many thanks and God bless.

[Kevin]

Well written J.R. I can't help but think of Derek Webb's song "A King And A Kingdom" and your prayer reminds me to be thankful that "My first allegiance isn't to a flag, a country or a man, it's to a King and a Kingdom". Amen and God Bless.