A Pastoral Prayer for our Nation
Below is the pastoral prayer that was given by Pastor Ryan Chase at the Sunday gathering of Emmaus Road Church on July 14, 2024—the day after the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump.
Psalm 46
1 God is our refuge and strength,
a very present help in trouble.
2 Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way,
though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea,
3 though its waters roar and foam,
though the mountains tremble at its swelling. Selah
4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
the holy habitation of the Most High.
5 God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved;
God will help her when morning dawns.
6 The nations rage, the kingdoms totter;
he utters his voice, the earth melts.
7 The Lord of hosts is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah
8 Come, behold the works of the Lord,
how he has brought desolations on the earth.
9 He makes wars cease to the end of the earth;
he breaks the bow and shatters the spear;
he burns the chariots with fire.
10 “Be still, and know that I am God.
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth!”
11 The Lord of hosts is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah
Prayer
Father in heaven, this is our confession of faith this morning. That you are with us. That you yourself are our refuge and our strength. That you are a present help in times of trouble. And our desire as we live our lives in this broken, fallen world is to know you and to find our refuge in you… We want our souls to be enlivened and made glad by that river, that river whose streams make glad the city of God. We pray that you would cause rivers of living water to flow in our hearts this morning.
What we need most today, what our nation needs most today is to know you, to behold you, to know your character, to know your truth, to know your promises, to know your law, to know your ways, to know your goodness, to know your grace, to know your gospel, to know your son, Jesus Christ, the savior of the world. And so we are fixing our eyes on you; we are gathered in the name of Jesus to worship you, confident that you are with us. Yet we know Lord that all around us the earth gives way. Mountains are moved into the heart of the sea. We thank you that in spite of all that, we need not fear because you are our God, you are in our midst.
And this morning, Father, our hearts are heavy for our nation. In light of the events last night and the attempted assassination on former President Trump’s life. Our hearts are grieved by the state of things in our nation, by those events. We thank you, Father, for protecting and preserving Trump’s life. We pray for his safety. We pray for the family members of victims at that rally yesterday who are grieving today. And we pray that you would be near to them through your word and through your Spirit and through your people. That in the midst of their loss, they would know you.
You are a God of justice and we pray that your justice would be done. That justice would prevail. And we pray today, as your people, for peace in our nation. We ask you, O God, to restrain sin and all kinds of reactions that might ensue from this. Would you save us from violence and discord and confusion, and from pride and arrogance, and from every evil way? Would you, O God, defend our liberties, and fashion into one united people the multitudes brought here out of many kindreds and tongues, and endue with the spirit of wisdom those to whom in your name we entrust the authority of government, that there may be justice and peace at home, and that, through obedience to your law, we may show forth your praise among the nations of the earth.
That’s what we long for. That we would trust what you say to, “Be still and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in [all] the earth!”
God we do not deserve, as a people, any of these blessings or protections or liberties, but we are asking for your mercy. And most of all that through the preaching of the gospel, through the witness of your people, that your Spirit would move in our nation and bring revival and repentance. Have mercy on us, O God, for our sins are great, they are piled up to the heavens. We deserve your judgement and we look to you for mercy. Grant us what we ask because we ask it in Jesus’ name, Amen.