A Prayer for Our Nation — sacred illustration
✶ Our Bible Moments No. 261 / 272

Our Nation

A Prayer for Our Nation

Proverbs 14:34

Proverbs 14:34 belongs to the proverbs of Solomon, king of Israel (Proverbs 10:1), and teaches that righteousness raises up a nation while sin brings disgrace on any people.

Lord, righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any people. We confess our sins as a nation, and we confess our own. Have mercy on us. Give our leaders wisdom and integrity, and make our homes, courts and communities places of honesty and justice. Heal what divides us, protect the weak, and bless our neighbors. Turn our hearts back to You, and let righteousness be what lifts us up. Amen.

Proverbs 14:34 belongs to the proverbs of Solomon, king of Israel (Proverbs 10:1), and teaches that righteousness raises up a nation while sin brings disgrace on any people.

The Scripture

“Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any people.”

— Proverbs 14:34

Prayer points from Proverbs 14:34

  1. Thank God for the good gifts He has given our nation.
  2. Confess the nation’s sins, and your own.
  3. Pray for leaders at every level to act with wisdom and integrity.
  4. Ask God for honesty and justice in homes, courts and communities.
  5. Pray for healing where the nation is divided.
  6. Ask God to turn hearts back to Him and lift us up by righteousness.

About this verse

Proverbs 14:34 is a single line from the collection titled “The proverbs of Solomon” that begins in chapter 10. Like most proverbs, it describes how God has made the world to work, a general truth rather than a promise about any one country: “Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any people.” Notice the last words, any people. Solomon was king over Israel, but this proverb reaches every nation, including our own. A nation is not lifted up first by its wealth, its armies or its size, but by doing what is right before God: honest dealing, fair courts, care for the poor and the weak. Sin, on the other hand, brings shame on any people, however strong. So praying for our nation begins with confession, not blame, and asks God for righteousness in the land, starting with His own people. This prayer is for anyone praying for their country and its leaders, alone or with their church.

When to pray this prayer

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