A Prayer for God’s Mercy on Our Hurting World

It’s ironic, isn’t it? The same weekend that celebrates freedom and independence for both Canada and the United States comes after a horrific series of terrorist attacks around the world. I don’t know about you, but I feel as though Satan is ramping up his efforts to steal, kill, and destroy.

A couple of weeks ago I blogged about how we’re fighting not against flesh and blood but against spiritual forces. That means we use spiritual weapons. So, folks, let’s do battle on our knees.

Please pray with me

I invite you to pray this prayer with me today, on Independence Day, and every day hereafter. Share it with others. Let’s get ‘er done!

“Heavenly Father, we acknowledge You as the only true and living God, the One worthy of our worship. You are the Creator, He who spoke the entire universe into being. You are Almighty—nothing is too difficult for You. You are holy, spotless and perfect in every way. You are just, wise, and sovereign. You are beautiful and all Your ways are right.

“Almighty God, we bow our knees before You. We’re honored and humbled that You gladly welcome us into Your presence. We acknowledge our dependence on You for all things—food, shelter, health, guidance, and wisdom. We depend on You for the air we breathe and the water we drink. We depend on You to protect us from the evil one and his wicked schemes. And we acknowledge our need for You to cleanse us from sin.

“Holy God, forgive us for exalting ourselves and seating ourselves upon the throne of our lives. Forgive us for thinking we know better than You how to do life. Cleanse us—as individuals and as a nation—from turning our backs on Your holy Word, from thinking it’s okay to pick and choose which commands we obey and which ones we throw out. Forgive us, Father, and have mercy on us for we have sinned

“Turn our hearts back to You. Teach us to value what You value—goodness, kindness, mercy, justice, generosity, truth, humility, and above all, love and respect for all mankind. Make us conduits of Your love. Make us peacemakers. Make us faithful and effective ambassadors who represent You well to our hurting world.

“God, today we ask for mercy on those people impacted by the recent acts of terrorism—for people whose workplaces became scenes of carnage, for passersby, for police officers and security guards, medical professionals and ambulance drivers, news reporters, victims’ family members, and for the victims themselves. Heal their bodies and their minds. Meet them at their deepest point of need. Allow them to experience evidences of Your presence through Your people, and draw them to You, the only source of true peace.

“We also pray for those responsible for these acts of terror. Remove the veil from their spiritual eyes so they can see clearly. Shine the light of Your truth into the darkest corners of their minds. Reveal to them the lies they’ve believed. Change their hearts in a way that only You can. Bind the powers of evil and unleash Your power to bring these men and women to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ, their only hope.

“Father, we give You our requests, but we also want to give You our thanks. Thank You for our nation’s founding fathers and the principles upon which they stood. Thank You for the freedoms and prosperity we enjoy. We thank You for those who serve to guard those freedoms and for their willingness to sacrifice on our behalf. We also thank You for our nation’s leaders and trust You to turn their hearts to You and Your ways. Grant them wisdom, please, that we might continue to live in peace.

“God, please hear our prayer and rush to our rescue. We need You. We ask this in the powerful name of Jesus and for Your honor and glory, amen.”