#SayALittlePrayer..."God bless America."
by Phil Miglioratti
NOTE: Scroll for:
1 commentary, 2 Tweets, 3 Steps, 4 Critical Questions, 5 Action Plans, 6 Prayer Starters
I grew up hearing Kate Smith sing "God Bless America"
God bless America, land that I love
Stand beside her and guide her
Through the night with the light from above
From the mountains to the prairies
To the oceans white with foam
God bless America, my home sweet home
...and decades later was thrilled when a stadium filled with fans sang this prayer-to-God song during the 7th inning stretch.
Like our nation;'s motto, "In God We Trust," I assumed this expressed the true heart of our nation; a declaration of authentic trust in the living God and a sincere act of thanksgiving for the abundant blessings we have received.
But lately, I have second thoughts when I hear or sing the song.
When we speak or sing those three words, we are truly asking God to bless our nation. A petition to send good things our way (healthy bodies and a healthy economy). A plea to stop bad things (like pandemics, violence, raging fires). A biblical and very much needed prayer...but I have a concern.
Concern this song is too easily sung with more sentimentality than spirituality. A God-bless-my-America worldview . A pining for a good-old-days status quo. A generic prayer that is as patriotic as it is genuine intercession ... which easily produces an Americanized religion that dilutes vibrant faith in the God we trust.
The blessings individuals seek from a "God bless America" prayer are usually motivated by a personal need or an existential threat; the fear of destruction or damage or a dramatic decrease to our way of life. The good things we seek are those that will bless me-myself-and-I. Typically, "God bless America'' is an ask for help that will directly benefit me.
While I heartily "Amen!" presenting our personal petitions to the Lord (like you, I do this every day), I am also convinced the Church is responsible to pray corporately for the corporate needs of our nation and our communities. We must pray beyond personal interests into God's blessings that influence our nation and impact the wide diversity of communities. Those blessings that pour forth from conviction and confession; lived-out repentance and Spirit-led renewal)
We need a fresh wind of the Spirit that moves prayer champions to take a fresh look at our "God bless America'' prayers, so that more Christians and more congregations present requests for the blessings that correspond more to the broken heart of God. than to our help-me list of daily needs. Yes, we must pray for personal needs. But also for neighborhoods. And our nation.
The Church is called to pray for a practical and piercing application of biblical truths to our sociological problems, but I fear (and hear) prayer that sounds more politicized than prophetic.
May "God, bless America" become a prayer of response to Jesus’ command to “love your neighbor.”
How might God bless America if we present petitions on behalf of people who are beyond our family and friends? First responders. Fire fighters. Police officers. Local leaders. School teachers. Trend setters. Can we disciple the Church to pray not from but into political issues? For other ethnicities? For the unborn and the uncared for? For those in need as well as those who lead?
God will bless America. When God's people pray. In humility ("God resists you when you are proud but continually pours out grace when you are humble." James 4:6) . When we turn back to God. When we stop sinning. God will bless America by forgiving us and making our land fertile again (2 Chronicles 7:14)
3 Steps
...as we pursue a new "God, bless America" prayer ...
- ASK the Spirit of God to reveal our personal blind spots that keep us/the Church focused on our needs
- Welcome the conviction of sin (knowing our guilt before the Lord)
- Invite a spirit of contrition (authentic sorrow for our sin)
- Offer a sincere confession ("to say the same thing;" agreeing with God about our personal and corporate sin)
- SEEK the filling of the Holy Spirit that empowers us to pray with:
- the heart of God - we become broken-hearted for that which the Spirit reveals as disobedience to God (the Church; our culture)
- and the mind of Christ (understanding the difference between being right and acting righteous)
- KNOCK for doors to be opened, so that as we say "God, bless America" our prayer vista extends into:
- new people groups representing the vast diversity of ethnicities and affinities in our nation; in our neighborhood
- different places: cities, communities
- various things: issues and institutions that influence our culture
- "God, bless America ______ (with, by, through, so that) ..."
4 Critical Questions
...to set a new direction in our praying
- "God, how do you want to bless America?"
- "God, what is stopping you from blessing America?"
- "God, how are you blessing America in ways we are blind to?"
- "God, in what ways must the Church change before we can be useful to you in blessing America?"
5 Action Plans
...to fresh start our church/ministry/church
- Revise your Prayer List to include:
- Those who are lost: lost without Christ, families who lost their home from wildfire or hurricane, lost loved ones to COVID-19, lost a job
- Those who lead: our Churches, our communities, influence through government-education-entertainment
- Those with less: under-resourced, unhealthy and unable to work, without access to health care, good schools, safe neighborhoods, homeless
- Those we love: family, brothers and sisters in other nations serving, sacrificing...
- Read a book together:
- Ask everyone to purchase a book after they pray for guidance
- Ask everyone to post the book they chose on social media
- Establish a weekly ZOOM call to discuss what they are learning about prayer, community impact, discipleship...
- Interview community leaders
>"When our church/group asks God to bless America, what would you want us to be sure to ask for?"
>Pastors - Principals - Business Owners - First Responders - Government Officials – Neighbors
- Develop a Prayer Rhythm:
Daily prayer prompts
Weekly prayer calls
Monthly prayer themes/gatherings
Quarterly prayer training
6 Prayer Starters
- God, bless America by... convicting us of the sins we committed throughout our history (conquest of First Nations people, enslaving Africans, providing liberty and justice for some ...
- God, bless America by... teaching us how to confess then commit to praying our nation will “hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men (all people) are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of happiness”
- God, bless America by... revealing and removing our political blind spots that cause the Church to battle over political platforms rather than pray unitedly for “Thy kingdom come”
- God, bless America...with a Church that champions unborn babies as well as those unaborted but under-resourced
- God, bless America...with new leaders who, ked by your Spirit, dare to reimagine Church based on the radical, apolitical, life-transforming, culture-impacting, Gospel of Jesus
- God, bless America... with a Church not conformed to the traditions-systems-methods-calendars-budgets of Churchianity but transformed by the renewing or how we think about the focus-form-and function of God's people
2 Tweets
- #SayALittlePrayer...God bless America into a nation that provides and protects liberty and justice for all. a href="http://Reimagne.Network>">http://Reimagne.Network>
- #SayALittlePrayer...God bless America with a prophetic challenge from the Church to love God (“In God We Trust”?) and love our neighbor (black or white;
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