Prayer Guide: How to Pray for Our Country
We live in very polarizing times. Division infiltrates every layer of our society, separating even close friends and family members.
However, Jesus calls for His body, the church, to be unified in Him with love for each other. How can we reach this unity? We must submit ourselves to His never-changing, everlasting truth found in the Bible. God calls us as believers to align our hearts with His, to intercede for His will to be done on earth as it is in heaven.
This prayer guide is Scripture-based and is designed to prepare you to be His intercessor by aligning your heart with the Holy Spirit and by praying His Holy Word over our country. This guide can be used not only in your personal quiet time but also to pray with a prayer partner or small group.
Prayer Guide Contents
Purpose of Intercessory Prayer
1 Timothy 2:1-6, 8
“I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people — for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself as a ransom for all people. This has now been witnessed to at the proper time. ... Therefore I want the men everywhere to pray, lifting up holy hands without anger or disputing.”Prayer
Lord, please be in our midst as we come together as your body to lift up our country and our leaders. Please protect our country from the division that challenges our ability to live lives pleasing to you. Defend the vulnerable and voiceless, and bring justice to those who have suffered injustice. Realign and unify your people in Your Son, Jesus Christ, who is the author and protector of our faith, as we cry out to you for our land.
Prepare Your Heart
Romans 8:26
“In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us through wordless groans.”Prayer
Please lead and guide our prayers by the power of Your Spirit. Holy Spirit, pray in, through and for us so that we might pray in unity with Your will.
Call to Intercession
Jeremiah 29:7
“Seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the LORD for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.”Prayer
Lord, we are here to stand in the gap for our land before you. We confess our sin of putting our own will above Yours, which You have laid out in Your Word. Forgive us for losing sight of being Your body to the world. Purify our hearts. We pray for a national revival and spiritual healing. Please heal our land. We pray for Your peace and blessing to be poured out upon our nation according to Your mercy.
Repentance
Jeremiah 8:6
“I have listened attentively, but they do not say what is right. None of them repent of their wickedness, saying, ‘What have I done?’ Each pursues their own course like a horse charging into battle.”Proverbs 14:12
“There is a way that appears to be right, but in the end it leads to death.”Prayer
Forgive us. We are prideful — wise in our own eyes — and have forsaken Your Word for our desires. Please humble us and help us to submit to Your ways.
Psalm 139:23-24
“Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”2 Corinthians 7:10
“Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.”Prayer
Please search our hearts and our minds. Reveal to us what is not of you. Purify us as we seek Your will and to be Your intercessors.
James 5:16
“Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.”1 Kings 8:36
“Hear from heaven and forgive the sin of Your servants, Your people Israel. Teach them the right way to live, and send rain on the land you gave your people for an inheritance.”Prayer
Forgive us our sins and grant us wisdom in how to walk before You in these trying times. May our prayers be in alignment with Your will, and may You hear them.
Commit to Pray
Philippians 4:6
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”Ephesians 6:18
“Pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.”Prayer
We are all plagued by anxiety, and we do not know what tomorrow will bring. Help us to rest in You, relentlessly trusting in Your sovereignty and plan. May we persevere, bringing all of our anxieties to You. With thanksgiving, may we endure through Your strength, and may we continuously lift one another up in prayer.
Ephesians 6:12-13, 18
“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. ... Pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.”Prayer
Lord, help us to daily put on the armor of God, stand firm, and commit to pray for our community and country. Help us shine the love and mercy of God, never losing sight that our struggle is not with other people but against the spiritual forces that influence us. We pray for revival and spiritual awakening to sweep throughout our country and the world. Amen.
Next Steps
- Learn how you can pray for our country's government and leadership.
Scriptures taken from the New International Version.
