A Prayer for Our Nation

Moses prays an amazing prayer in Exodus that should be ours today.  

First, let’s set the context. Moses meets with God on Mount Sinai and receives the Ten Commandments. However, back at camp, the Israelites are engaging in pagan revelry and worshiping a golden calf. God is ready to wipe them out and make a new nation from Moses. Yet, acting as a type of Christ, Moses intercedes:

“Forgive their sin—but if not, I pray, blot me out of Your book.” (Exodus 32:32CloseExodus 32:32 But now, if you will only forgive their sin—but if not, erase my name from the record you have written!" OPEN VERSE IN BIBLE (nlt) )

The Lord relents, and Moses asks:

“Show me now Your way, that I may know You and that I may find grace in Your sight.” (Exodus 33:13CloseExodus 33:13 If it is true that you look favorably on me, let me know your ways so I may understand you more fully and continue to enjoy your favor. And remember that this nation is your very own people." OPEN VERSE IN BIBLE (nlt) )

Here is Moses, who has spent a considerable amount of time in God’s presence, saying, “I need to know You more. I see Your acts, but I want to know Your way.” By asking this, Moses is asking to know God’s name—meaning His very nature. It’s a great prayer that we should make our own.

Moses then asks to see the Lord’s glory, and God replies: “I will make all My goodness pass before you, and I will proclaim the name of the Lord before you”—agreeing to reveal His name and nature. He continues, “I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion” (v. 19).

We did not choose God; He chose us. We deserve a penalty for our sins, yet He had compassion and grace for us. And He has chosen us for service—not just for all eternity, but for right now.

Exodus 34:6-7CloseExodus 34:6-7 The LORD passed in front of Moses, calling out,"Yahweh!* The LORD!  The God of compassion and mercy!I am slow to anger  and filled with unfailing love and faithfulness. I lavish unfailing love to a thousand generations.*  I forgive iniquity, rebellion, and sin.But I do not excuse the guilty.  I lay the sins of the parents upon their children and grandchildren;the entire family is affected—  even children in the third and fourth generations." OPEN VERSE IN BIBLE (nlt)  records the great revelation that God gives Moses and the people of Israel—and it’s a revelation we can pray for our nation today:

The Lord passed before him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin.”

So let’s remember God’s wonderful attributes as we pray for nation, for our leaders, and for ourselves as a people. Let’s ask the Lord to reveal Himself, to show His mercy and grace, to forgive our sins, to heal our land, and to restore the covenant that we would be one nation under God.

May God bless you.

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Scripture is quoted from the Holy Bible, New King James Version, copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.