READ: PSALM 33:12-20; 1 TIMOTHY 2:1-6; 1 PETER 2:9-17

Do you pray for your country? No matter where you live, your nation needs prayer. We don’t need to pray for our country to be the best in the world, but we can pray that God will guide and bless our leaders so they can make wise, God-honoring decisions.

The Bible teaches that nations do not rise or fall because of their own strength. It says safety comes from the Lord. So, even as we acknowledge and appreciate the ways God has blessed our country, we can also recognize that it’s full of sin and problems, just like every other nation in this broken world. Regardless of where we are from, God calls us to pray that both our leaders and our fellow citizens will put their trust in Jesus.

Only Jesus can bring hope to our sin-stained world. Only He can save us from sin. He let Himself be put to death at the hands of an unjust empire, and then rose again so we could become part of His holy nation. And one day He’ll return to rule the whole world! On that day He will put an end to sin, and He will heal all the brokenness sin has caused.

Nations rise and fall, but Jesus reigns forever. The only way any of us can truly have peace is by trusting in Him. Once we do, we are part of His nation—citizens of His kingdom who will spend eternity with Him. So let’s pray that people in our country—and in every nation of the world—will turn to Jesus and trust Him as their Savior. • A. W. Smith

• How can knowing that every nation is temporary affect the way we view our home countries?

• Where do you see God’s blessings in your nation? What sin and brokenness do you see?

• Consider spending some time praying for your country. Pray that the leaders of your nation will turn to Jesus and seek His guidance in making decisions. Pray that the people in your country will trust in Jesus and follow His leading in their lives. Pray that God’s children of every tribe and nation will shine His light so the whole world can see it. And ask God to help you see how He is bringing healing to broken places in your nation, and how He might be inviting you to be part of His restoring work.

• If you want to dig deeper, read Psalms 46:1-11; 127:1; 146:1-10; Matthew 5:43-45; Acts 17:26; Philippians 3:20; Revelation 3:12; 7:9; 11:15; 21:1-5.

We put our hope in the Lord. He is our help and our shield. Psalm 33:20 (NLT)