A Prayer for the House of Representatives as it Selects the Next Speaker

You know all things, Father.
You are both our Creator and Sustainer.
You rule in all things, great and small.
You rule in the affairs of men.

Therefore, our hearts should bless You
As our King—our Lord.
Yet, though on paper we declare, “In God We Trust,”
The hearts of so many of our countrymen, don’t.

How our hearts grieve for this!
How we mourn for a people lost without a North!
How we long for a turn to You, the only Truth—
For hearts driven to repentance and reconciliation and thanksgiving.

It is in that spirit that we turn our plea to You
In our hour of need (as we constantly find ourselves),
As the days of evil increase, when anxiousness and
Desperation are constantly at our nation’s table.

Move our hearts towards You.
Multiply the miracle of grace through faith
In the lives of our people.
Help us to trust You, above ourselves.

If we boast in ourselves, our material gains,
In wealth and riches, in power and influence,
We are to be pitied most of all,
For we deceive ourselves.

What can man give as ransom for his soul?
Only those who trust in You can rest secure.
Only those who have died to self, to be born again,
Will feel content, no matter the days.

Why should those who fear the Lord
Be cast down as they face the challenges the day?
Our hope is sure! Our hope remains;
Our hope reigns and works all things for our good.

Therefore, we stand in You,
Asking that You take control of the Speaker’s race
In the people’s House of Representatives.
Others may scorn at our request, but we bow our heads.

We abide in the root and tree that is Christ,
In Whom we, mere branches,
Receive all that is needed to
Produce the fruit of righteousness.

What is impossible with man,
Is possible with You; we affirm this.
Turn hard hearts of vile and selfish ambitions
Into soft and tender organs free of bitterness.

Give us unity. In purpose and sacrifice,
Help those who seek to govern us see
The wisdom that is from above—
The beauty and joy that can be ours by loving one another.

Fill the halls of Congress with a renewed sense of hope,
Fill it with people who want to serve the public
Because they want to serve You.
We pray against the devil’s schemes and those he controls.

We pray for peace—at home and abroad.
We pray for Your Name to be magnified.
We pray for spiritual eyes, for discernment,
For Your church to be salt and light through it all.

Illuminating the pathway forward,
Healing and preserving, even through pain,
Grant us to never tire of doing well,
That we may never lose our saltiness or light.

In Jesus’ Name,
Amen.