As the shocking events of 2020 unfolded, we glued ourselves to our screens. News ratings spiked like they hadn’t in decades. With a charged political season now upon us, those ratings continue to charge ahead. The only thing these partisan outlets seem to agree on is that we all ought to be outraged.

 As Christians, we certainly ought to care about our country. We are called to be good citizens, and we ought to participate in the democratic process (next week I’ll share why we all should vote). But before we even get there, our first response should be to pray.

In 1 Timothy 2:1-2, Paul asks us to pray for those in power, “First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way.”

Whatever your political preferences are, would you commit to joining in prayer for our country? There are several prayer initiatives that I’ve heard of during this season. The one I would commend to you is called #PrayfortheUSA and has been organized by Dave Drum.

Dave Drum is a former pastor and now a leader of pastors in Tucson through a ministry called J17 (referring to Jesus’ prayer for unity in John 17). One of the many things I respect about Dave is his heart for the unity of the church.

His prayer for #PrayfortheUSA is threefold:

• Rally one million people to pray - specifically against the likelihood of anarchy if the national election results are not accepted as legitimate.

• Have one million people wear purple shirts with a call to pray for the country.

• Encourage one million people to stand at major intersections on election day, November 3, 2020, across the nation.

Would you consider joining me in praying for our country during this divisive season? You can sign up at www.prayfortheusa.net/commit.

Photo by Claudia van Zyl on Unsplash