America. The land of the free and the home of the brave.

But lately, that’s not what comes to mind when I think about my nation. Instead I just wonder, Where are we headed?

With the craziness of the election, the backwards direction of our culture, and a host of seemingly unsolvable problems, where does this all end?

And how will it affect us regular folks along the way?

Thankfully, we don’t have to leave it all in the hands of politicians or anybody else. Not only do we have opportunities to get involved, we serve a God who has influence even here in our nation. Just like we talked about with our world, we have the opportunity to bring our country before the King of Kings.

Here are some ways we can each be praying:

For Christians

According to a Gallup poll, 75% of Americans identify themselves as Christians. Whether or not that many people have truly placed their faith in Jesus Christ, the truth remains that there is a large population of Christians in this country. Looking at our society and culture, though, my bet is that a stranger would guess just the opposite.

Through Christ, we have the ability to love beyond our own capabilities, to serve others meaningfully, and to point people to the eternal life that matters so much more than this one. But, so often, we are wasting time and opportunities.

Let’s pray that Christians would…

• sacrificially humble themselves “under the mighty hand of God” (1 Peter 5:6). In a world full of temptation and distraction, Christians need to be placing themselves under God’s hand, no matter how uncomfortable.
• have the courage to share truth of Christ’s sacrifice with family members, coworkers, and even strangers. There is nothing more important for people to hear.
• live like pilgrims, not valuing this country or this world too highly because we know the truth of Hebrews 11:16, which says, “But now they desire a better, that is, a heavenly country. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them.”
• be in the Bible, studying it diligently, and basing our lives fully on it, remembering that it is the very Word of God.

For Those Without Christ

John 3:18 says, “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.”

We have neighbors, friends, family members, and compatriots who are condemned in their sin because they have not accepted God’s gift of salvation. Many of them have never had the chance because they haven’t even heard.

Let’s pray for the people in our country who don’t know Christ, that…

• they will each hear a clear presentation of the Gospel and will be drawn by the Holy Spirit to the forgiveness of their Savior
• the false religions that are stealing hearts and minds would be stopped and that those who are already mired in them would come to a saving knowledge of the truth.

For Churches

Churches have a big job and an important job. Ephesians 4:12-13 says that they are “for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ…”

Churches have the obligation to teach truth from the Bible, to train people to seek after God, and to work together to minister to the world around us.

As some of that work gets harder in this country and as more churches are willing to compromise on important truths, we need to be in prayer for them. We can pray that…

• churches would put representing Christ and the truth of the Bible above drawing large crowds
• everything churches do would be based on the Bible and on fervent prayer
• churches would be the hands and feet of Jesus in their communities, focusing on more than just internal concerns and joys
• the Church as a whole would exemplify Christ in its unity

For Our Government

This is an important piece of praying for our nation. The people who run our government have so much responsibility and so much influence.

We can be in prayer that:

• our leaders would look to God for wisdom, and that those who don’t know Christ as Savior would be drawn to Him
• that we would continue to be blessed with religious liberty so that we can worship God according to the Bible and so that others can stand before God, not government, with their religious choices
• that people would stand up for what is right, but with respect for the authority that God has given our leaders (Romans 13:1 says, “Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God.”)

In many ways, our nation is drifting from the Lord. And on top of that, we are facing some hard and emotionally charged situations. Our country, our churches, and our leaders all need prayer. 1 Timothy 2 says we should be in prayer “for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence.”

Let’s commit to pray earnestly for our country and about the direction it’s heading.