Our Father and Our God, we praise You for Your goodness to our nation,
giving us blessings far beyond what we deserve. Yet we know all is not right with
America. We deeply need a moral and spiritual renewal to help us meet the many
problems we face. Convict us of sin. Help us to turn to You in repentance and
faith. Set our feet on the path of Your righteousness and peace. We pray today
for our nation's leaders. Give them the wisdom to know what is right, and the
courage to do it. You have said, "Blessed is the nation whose God is the
Lord." May this be a new era for America, as we humble ourselves and acknowledge
You alone as our Savior and Lord. This we pray in Your holy name, Amen.
--- Billy Graham
An Interfaith Prayer for Peace
O God, you are the source of life and peace.
Praised be your name forever.
We know it is you who turn our minds to thoughts of peace.
Hear our prayer
in this time of crisis.
Your power changes hearts.
Muslims, Christians
and Jews remember, and profoundly affirm,
that they are followers of the one
God,
Children of Abraham, brothers and sisters;
enemies begin to speak
to one another;
those who were estranged join hands in friendship;
nations
seek the way of peace together.
Strengthen our resolve to give witness
to these
truths by the way we live.
Give to us:
Understanding that
puts an end to strife;
Mercy that quenches hatred, and
Forgiveness that
overcomes vengeance.
Empower all people to live in your law of love
Amen.
--- Pax Christi
Grant Us Your Salvation
Show us your mercy,
O Lord;
And grant us your salvation.
Clothe your ministers with righteousness;
Let your people sing with joy.
Give peace, O Lord, in all the world;
For
only in you can we live in safety.
Lord, keep this nation under your care;
And guide us in the way of justice and truth.
Let your way be known upon earth;
Your saving health among all nations.
Let not the needy, O Lord, be forgotten;
Nor the hope of the poor be taken away.
Create in us clean hearts, O God;
And sustain us by your Holy Spirit.
--- Book of Common Prayer 1979
Prayer for the Nation
God of ages,
in your sight nations rise
and fall,
and pass through times of peril.
Now when our land is troubled,
be near to judge and save.
May leaders be led by your wisdom;
may they
search your will and see it clearly.
If we have turned from your way,
help us to reverse our ways and repent.
Give us your light and your truth
to guide us;
through Jesus Christ,
who is Lord of this world, and our
Savior. Amen.
--- Presbyterian Church USA
Celebration of Freedom
in America
Lord God Almighty, in whose Name the founders of this
country won liberty for themselves and for us, and lit the torch of freedom for
nations then unborn: Grant we beseech thee, that we and all the people of this
land may have grace to maintain our liberties in righteousness and peace; through
Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
--- Book of Common Prayer 1979
Prayer for Peace Among Nations
O Almighty God,
the Father of
all humanity,
turn, we pray, the hearts of all peoples and their rulers,
that by the power of your Holy Spirit
peace may be established among the nations
on the foundation of justice, righteousness and truth;
through him who was
lifted up on the cross
to draw all people to himself,
your Son Jesus Christ
our Lord. Amen.
--- William Temple (1881-1944)
Prayer for
the Nation
With malice toward none; with charity for all; with firmness
in the right, as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the
work we are in; to bind up the nation's wounds... to do all which may achieve
and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations.
--- Abraham Lincoln, Second inaugural address (1864)
Books About Prayer and/or Meditation
Current and best selling books about prayer, meditation or spirituality that you might want to add to your library
Charles Henderson
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The Rev. Charles P. Henderson is a Presbyterian minister and
Executive Director of CrossCurrents.
He is the author of God and Science (John Knox Press, 1986).
A revised and expanded version of the book is appearing here. God and Science (Hypertext Edition,
2005).
He is also editor of a new book, featuring articles by world class scientists and theologians, and illustrating the leading views on the relationship between science and religion: Faith, Science and the Future (CrossCurrents Press, 2007).
Charles also tracks the boundry between the virtual and the real at his blog: Next World Design, focusing on the mediation of art, science and spirituality in the metaverse.