Pray for: United States of America

Christianity has been a huge influence in the USA since before its founding as a nation. Evangelicals (28.9% of population) exist in all major ethnic groups and levels of society. The Pilgrim Fathers of America wanted a land with freedom to practise their Christian faith. This foundation supported the growth of one of the largest Christian movements in history. The USA has around 15% of the world’s evangelicals, and still, a significant proportion of the world’s missionaries. More than 2,000 recognized institutions offer theological degrees in the USA and Canada. 30,000-50,000 students graduate each year with a desire to impact the world for Christ. America’s Christian values helped shape modern democracy, human rights, and economic development at home and beyond. Pray that the USA might once more serve as a launch pad for the good news and the attendant transformation that it is meant to bring.

The Church in the USA is as deeply divided as the nation itself. In this past generation, cracks papered over by previously shared values have become chasms. The USA’s spiritual heritage has long been under attack by those opposed to the gospel, but no external enemies have done more damage than the politicization of Christianity and accompanying polarization in the body. The idol of nationalism – “Christian” or otherwise – is a blight on the message of the gospel, as is any ideology that divides or distracts believers from their core identity as the body of Christ. Pray for the Lord to raise up believers who will fearlessly and publicly place their oneness in Christ above all race, ethnicity, gender, and ideology! Everything else must be placed at the nailed-pierced feet of Jesus on the throne. May such faithful saints be an inspiration to others and a healing salve on America’s wounds.

America has a massive cultural and social influence. No other country has as much potential to be a redemptive force in the world, and no other country does more to spread sin. America has made the world a better place through aid and development, innovation in technology and media, universal education, information, defence of human rights, and opposition to tyranny. America has also hurt the world through insensitive cultural domination, selfish individualism, corporate greed, and spreading of pornography, casual violence, and obsession with possessions, wealth, and poverty. America’s desire for illicit drugs and fossil fuels causes wars abroad, keeps corrupt regimes in power, and inflicts suffering on indigenous peoples of other lands. Pray that God might shape this nation to be a greater force for good, and destroy these sinful practices that pollute much of the world.

America bears many of the signs of an empire in decline – economic stratification and spiralling debt, deteriorating public health, ideological division, corruption, addiction to entertainment, demographic challenges, strained international relations, and more. The shaking of the USA’s foundations is intensifying even as change is accelerating. What kind of nation will emerge from this season of upheaval? Jesus’ words in Mark 10 are apt: “Whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all.” Pray that the Lord might hear the prayers of His people and pour out measures of divine mercy and justice that display His perfect wisdom. Pray into the following:

• Profound change has come to American politics over the past decade or more. Comfortable establishment politics is being thoroughly disrupted as one brand of “elite” replaces another. Over time, the political arena has seen diplomacy replaced with jingoism, tact with cruelty, integrity with hypocrisy, and discourse with point-scoring sound bites. Yet there are still some who treat politics as an arena for service rather than self-advancement, and many of those are Christians. May God raise up a host of wise and humble people to offer a stable foundation for a healthy future.
• The bureaucratic infrastructure of the USA has been dismantled with alarming speed. Time will tell whether this has brought about sought-after efficiency or undermined essential institutions of democracy. Meanwhile, the billionaire class has engaged in state capture with shocking success, as the world’s most prosperous nation is plundered by its rising oligarchs. For the majority of Americans, economic prospects have been getting bleaker for years. Recent shifts may be even more ruinous for both the shrinking middle class and the poor. A nation that empowers the wealthiest at the expense of the poor cannot expect such policies to please God or bring His blessings.
• At home and abroad, the USA has never truly come to terms with its colonial, imperial, and racist history – although it can be argued that the current administration is leaning into all three of these tainted legacies. Any nation thrives when it is able to address the injustices of the past effectively. The nation’s relations with – and between – its minorities is a barometer for its health. The nation’s relations with its neighbours, its allies, and its rivals is a barometer for its future. May America’s power be used with prudence, may its diversity remain its strength, and may God grant the gift of repentance wherever needed.

The American Church needs revival – not the slick mass evangelism and theatrics often associated with the word, but true revival with conviction of sin, repentance and an outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Revival is not smarmy spectacle. It is our brokenness before God and the new life and restoration that can come only from Him. More often than not, the public face of Christianity turns people away from Jesus rather than drawing them to Him. In many circles, the gospel is often little more than a self-help philosophy. Thank God for the pockets where revival is happening – and it is! Pray that it may spread.