Pray for your city and your nation
A common prayer, but with a twist
I’ll be brutally honest, this has been a difficult one for me to write…because it very well may rub people the wrong way.
I’ve heard my whole life that we should pray for our country (I grew up in America, so it always comes with a hint of nationalism that doesn’t blend well with Christianity).
And, for the longest time, I thought there were only two options:
Submit to the idea of Christian Nationalism centered around the United States
Pray for our nation to be more Christian so that it runs like a Christian Theocracy (like in the days of the Judges)
And then, I remember thinking about the teachings of Jesus about the Kingdom…
The Lord’s Prayer encourages us to pray, “May your Kingdom come, May your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”
And that means that, as much as our prayers are for our city, our nation, “our people"…they are, more importantly, for God’s Kingdom.
And so…
…our prayers must be shaped not around what we might think praying for our nation means, but around what it means for our cities and nations to be a part of the Kingdom.
This may mean praying for our political enemies to win, for our nation to fail in some way, or any number of uncomfortable prayers.
Because, at the end of the day, the Kingdom is what matters most.
My prayer for today
Our Father, thank you for your kingdom that we can see touching the earth here, just as in heaven. Jesus, give us the courage to pray for difficult things. Spirit, help us feel uncomfortable for the sake of the Kingdom. Amen.
Remember
Many of Jesus’ followers were asked to turn against their upbringings for the sake of the Kingdom and none of them took it in stride. It’s okay to be uncomfortable.