In Times of Worry, Uncertainty, and Fear, God's People Pray!
We live at a point in time characterized by an unfamiliar uncertainty of a sort which generates great unease, worry, and far too much catastrophizing.
There are plenty of reasons why this is the case.
The most obvious is that there is an upcoming national election. Whichever candidate wins, about 35% of Americans will be thrilled, another 35% will be incredibly disappointed and deflated, the rest will ignore the outcome as same ole same ole and return to their daily lives as though nothing earth-shattering actually happened. The losing side may threaten civil disobedience, the courts will be overwhelmed with litigation, and more Americans will lose faith in our system of government. Many will despair that the American dream is but a mirage.
Many will retreat to social media where truth telling is increasingly rare, clever folk with no expertise or training use their cleverness to pass themselves off as experts to spread all kinds of nonsensical historical revisionism, personal attacks, bad advice, and “foil-hat level” craziness. Social media (which the vast majority of Americans thankfully ignore) is now a place for the “very on-line” where treating others as divine image-bearers is taken as a sign of weakness (or unmanliness).
And there are too many bad actors in the world. In many places on the globe, war is a reality and an increasing threat to our national peace and security (with possible escalation and American boots on the ground). Think of Putin’s unjustified invasion of Ukraine, the Middle East situation (Iran and Israel, particularly), and the looming possibility of a Chinese invasion of Taiwan.
We also see an increasing possibility of severe economic hardship from rising debt (both personal and national), supply chain interruptions, new viral plagues, and if we take the alien-watchers seriously (which I do not), even extra-terrestrials pose a serious threat.
Closer to all our homes is the national spike in property crimes (like shoplifting and property squatting), homelessness, drug abuse and addiction, prostitution and crimes against children, much of it due to an open southern border.
You get the point. The list above could be much, much, longer.
No wonder that people ask me on a daily basis, what are we as Christians to do?
After assuring folks of God’s providential purpose for the world, and his care of his people in whatever circumstances they may find themselves, my next inclination is to pontificate on being responsible citizens who vote and who are not contributing to the nastiness and ungodliness we find in the city of man. Much of what I can offer is probably true and useful.
But the most important thing of which I can remind them (myself as well) is that we all should be praying that God’s will is being done on earth as it is in heaven (whether that be in ordinary Lord’s Day worship, in prayer meetings, or in family and private prayer). We should be praying for Christ’s kingdom to advance, for God to be pleased to restrain the evil around us, we ought to pray for our governing authorities (no matter how offensive we may personally think them to be), that he will protect those whom we love from harm, and that he grant to us wisdom to make good and sound choices when there are nothing but seemingly bad options available.
How should we pray? Here are a couple of prayers from the URCNA book of forms and prayers. Using these forms should not in any way prevent private and frequent prayers, laments, and supplication from one’s heart. But they do frame matters well and serve as useful guides to proper prayer in uncertain times such as our own.
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Prayer for All in Civil Authority
Almighty God, whose kingdom alone is everlasting, and whose power alone is infinite, have mercy upon our land. Grant to [specific name mentioned here], and to all others in authority, wisdom, righteousness, and strength to know and to do Your will. So rule their hearts that they, knowing whose servants they are, may above all things seek Your honor and glory. Enable us to know whose authority they bear and therefore faithfully and obediently honor them according to Your blessed Word and ordinance; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who, with You and the Holy Spirit, lives and reigns forever, one God, world without end. Amen.
Prayer for the Sick and the Spiritually Distressed—3
O almighty, eternal, and righteous God, our merciful Father: You are the Lord of life and death; without Your will, nothing happens in heaven or on earth. We are not worthy to call upon Your name, nor to hope that You will listen to us, when we consider how we have spent our time in this life. Yet we pray that You will, according to Your mercy, look upon us in Christ, who has taken upon Himself all our infirmities. We acknowledge that on account of who we are, apart from Him, we deserve far more than this affliction.
But Lord, we are Your people, and You are our God. Your mercy, which You have never withheld from those who turn to You, is our only refuge. Therefore, we pray, count not our sins against us, but impute to us the wisdom, righteousness, and holiness of our Savior. For His sake, deliver us from this suffering, in order that the Evil One may not regard us as forsaken by God. And if it pleases You to prolong our trial, give us patience and strength to bear it all according to Your will, and may it in Your wisdom be for our edification.
We would rather be chastised here, Lord, than have to perish with the world hereafter. Grant that we may die to this world and to all earthly things, that we may be renewed daily after the image of Jesus Christ. Permit us never to be separated from Your love, but draw us daily closer and closer to You, that at last we may enter with joy upon the end of our divine calling, which is to die with Christ, rise with Him triumphantly, and live with Him eternally. We also believe that You will hear us through Jesus Christ, who has taught us to pray, saying: “Our Father …”
These are taken from the URCNA book of forms and prayers