Pain and Change: An Invitation to Prayer

Greetings Prayer Partners,

In the past three weeks our hearts have been broken as our country has experienced horrific pain and loss. We have seen tears and tragedy, anger and injustice. We have also seen prayer and peaceful protests; people of all colors coming together to petition God and our nation for significant changes that we believe begin with the heart. We have spent the past weeks praying, listening and learning from hundreds of individuals, because the National Day of Prayer Task Force is committed to stay at the table and lean into conversations until we achieve sustainable Scriptural solutions that bring love, honor and justice to all persons of color, from womb to tomb.

We have been interceding for our nation on numerous fronts, but in these days of great pain and need for urgent change, we desire to come together to Pray for America.  We invite you to join your heart before the throne of God with us. The need is urgent, and as fellow believers and prayer warriors, we must assemble to petition God so that we recognize our sin, lament and repent, and resolve together, as the Church, to bring about reform and reconciliation in order to make America the nation we claim it is in our Pledge of Allegiance: “One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.” Our hearts are raw and only our Almighty God can answer our cry.  Please mark your calendar to pray with us:

PRAY for AMERICA

Thursday 6/25 at 8 pm ET, 7 pm CT, 6 pm MT, 5 pm PT

712-432-0075, 4961322#

 Our position has always been to stand on what is written in the Word of God and to seek the Lord in prayer. In the coming weeks we will introduce a new National Day of Prayer Task Force initiative that will seek to bring about Scriptural, sustainable solutions toward reconciliation and righteous relationship, so that we can be united in the love that Jesus modeled and mandated for His followers. Desperate times do not call for desperate measures, they call for desperate prayers. There is power in united prayer and so we have sought the heart and Word of God to write this prayer for America: for such a time as this, at the intersection of pain and change, where we resolve to turn from the pain as it is on earth and start the journey of, “as it is in heaven.” It is our hope that you will pray and share it with others in the upcoming days as we prepare our hearts for our special Pray for America call on Thursday. Thank you for your love for Jesus and your deep desire to love one another.

 

A National Prayer for America at the Intersection of Pain and Change

Heavenly Father, Creator of all people, we praise You as the giver of life and the One who placed Your image in EVERY person. You give EVERY person value and purpose. We are ONE race, the human race, from Adam forward. We are one family, who bleeds the same yet who are uniquely, fearfully, and wonderfully made. Lord, we need You! Because in our sameness we are also all sinners, falling short of the glory of the Lord. We praise You as our Savior who paid the penalty we never could and set us free.

Therefore, we resolve to adore and obey You as our Father, King and Lord. We resolve to love and honor one another, with ONE MIND STRIVING SIDE BY SIDE FOR THE FAITH OF THE GOSPEL as You have commanded. We resolve to see Your image and creative beauty of Your design in ALL people and commit to helping one another to understand and overcome the injustices, pain and suffering in the past and present. We know that Your Word states truth and as it is in heaven, but Lord we realize that our Biblical worldview does not make these things a reality in everyday life for all people on earth. We resolve to live, serve, and pray, “on earth as it is in heaven.”

Holy Spirit search us, convict us of our sins. We are reminded in Scripture that we are guilty of sin collectively as a nation as well as each person individually. The sin of America reaches to the heavens and back over hundreds of years against persons of color from womb to tomb. Our wicked ways are rooted in pride and prejudice; injustice plagues us throughout the generations. We lament as we cry out for every person that has suffered as we followed the agenda of the enemy to steal, kill and destroy.

We plead for Your forgiveness first, in the blood and Name of our precious Savior, Jesus Christ. Please forgive us as we seek the forgiveness of those we have hurt. Please bring unity where there is division and pour out Your love in us and through us. We resolve to follow Your will, Your ways, as You lead us on this journey of healing through Your love, reconciliation, and restore us to the destiny You designed for each of us and America. Show us how we can contribute to the holy healing we desperately need. We look only to You to lift us out of the pit of prejudice and injustice, knowing the righteousness You desire cannot come from the heart or hand that harms another.  We know that You are the one and only judge and so we repent where we have judged and criticized and now resolve to learn and lift one another up.

We thank You for Your love poured into us, for the abundant life You offer us, Your Spirit that empowers us and the gifts You have given to each of us. No human can take these from us. We are uniquely created on the inside and out; open our eyes to see the beauty in one another. Open our ears and minds to learn more about one another and open our hearts to love one another just as Jesus modeled and mandated. Lord, we do not want shallow speeches, we desire deep conversations saturated in Your love and Word through prayer that lead to planning and persevering in Your commands and promises that bring change in EVERY area You desire in us and in our Country. Give us sustainable, Scriptural solutions that reflect Your heart and a resolve to not quit before we finally see the reality of one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for ALL.

In the precious Name of Jesus, we pray, Amen!

Kathy Branzell
President
National Day of Prayer Task Force