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Keep us from the viper’s bite

Heavenly Father, praise belongs to you, and power and glory. Thank you for this fine day. Bless us as we go about our tasks. Protect our family from harm. Forgive us our empty words and senseless acts. Make us aware of your presence.

Give us peace and cause our government officials to work for the benefit of society, providing security and justice to all. Wake people up to your commandments. Bring honesty and fairness to transactions and interactions among people. Thank you for the progress made to live in a mutually beneficial society. Let civil and friendly discourse prevail. May Christians lead the way in blessing when we are cursed.

Show us how to love our family in Christ. Help us to give them priority, even above our physical families. Make our love for them sincere, earnest and intense. Give us openness, transparency, and honesty among us. Let truth prevail, and not lying, as we put on Christ and assume your image according to true knowledge.

Give us patience. Let us learn from life’s detours. Keep us from the viper’s bite! Teach us gratitude, that we be not impoverished by our blindness. Give us new eyes in Jesus Christ.

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Visions of heaven and peace in our country

Our Father in Heaven, let the words of Scripture leap from the page into the deepest recesses of my heart, with your power recreating life and rearranging priorities, purifying motivations and replacing worldly thoughts with visions of heaven and your divine love.

At the same time, we pray for peace in our country. May violence be contained. May the economy permit productive activity and lives of prosperity. May justice prevail within society. May corruption be rooted out. May local and national leaders rise who are honest and who sincerely work for the security and peace of its citizens.

Make us promoters of peace and proclaimers of eternal hope.

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May the election cause a change of heart

Lord God of heaven, who rules the affairs of men, bless the newly chosen president of the US with wisdom, discernment, desire for peace, to promote freedom of religion, movement, activity, and expression.

May the new president choose the government’s cabinet and counselors wisely.

May the election cause a change of heart, a moment of reflection upon past sins and immoralities. Not only in the president-elect, but in many others as well.

Upon taking office, may the American leader pursue policies that will promote justice and righteousness among the people.

Father, the US has great influence in the world still. Let it promote good will and peace.

And let all your people in every nation remember that you sent your Son to be Savior of the world, particularly of those who believe in him. Let us remember that, like him, we have been sent into the world to proclaim freedom from sin and reconciliation to every creature, great and small.

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Things don’t look good

Lord, from the limited vision of my perch, things don’t look good for the near future, in politics, economy, and society. It looks like Christians will have a harder time of it. They might be tempted to draw back from their efforts to proclaim the Good News in all the world.

But you know all things, you see every maneuver and hidden scheme of mankind. And you can change the course of events in the blink of an eye. You can raise up people and bring down those on high. And you listen to our prayers.

Father, we ask on behalf of your saints and your mission in this world. Do what will be the greatest blessing, what will serve best your kingdom. In our shortsightedness, it seems it would be best to bring new, decent people to take countries in crisis forward for good progress. Create space for such as these, raise up men and women who can point the way to a moral stance and to a society that treats all equally.

Above all, let us seek to be just, righteous, compassionate, and loving, especially to those in the family of faith. Help us to know that among your children you have established that perfect society. Thank you that we are already a part of this spiritual nation. Let us be more diligent in our efforts to show others that it is here, in the body of Christ, where you create the community that demonstrates your character and conduct.