Thanks, Madeleine!
Faithful reader Madeleine responded to my question about prayer with the following comment:
My thoughts on the subject of prayer for the nation. We are commanded to pray for our leaders and those in authority that we might lead peaceful lives, etc. So I don’t think there’s any question that we should pray for our nation, our government, and our leaders.
I think a good model prayer is found in Daniel Chapter 9 where Daniel confesses the sins of the nation and asks for the Lord’s mercy. I think we should confess the sins of our nation, that we should pray for an outpouring of the Holy Spirit and true revival in the land. I don’t think we need to pray for God to judge the nation; I think judgment will come if people do not turn from their sins and seek the Lord and His forgiveness.
Those are my preliminary thoughts, which I have held for some time. I will think more about your latest post and amend this if necessary. Thanks for your continued work on the book of Jeremiah and your sharing it with us.
I agree with Madeleine and as she says Daniel is a good model for us. She also pointed to the example of the Apostle Paul (Romans 13) instructing us to pray for those in authority (yes, even Bill Clinton). Paul and the other early Christians lived under some pretty oppressive regimes (e.g. Emperor Nero) and yet encouraged one another to pray for them. We can be grateful that we actually have a President that openly confesses Christ and is a model of a praying president.