The Lord is slow to anger but great in power; the Lord will not leave the guilty unpunished. His way is in the whirlwind and the storm, and clouds are the dust of his feet (Nahum 1:3).
Our Father, Your wisdom is profound, Your power is vast...You perform wonders that cannot be fathomed, miracles that cannot be counted (Job 9:4,10).
In Your great kindness and patience, You have extended grace to humanity—You daily surround us with unmerited favor. You cause Your sun to rise on the evil and the good, and send rain on the righteous and the unrighteous (Matthew 5:45).
Yet many do not acknowledge You, although our very breath comes from You (Psalm 104:29). Others mock Your kindness, scorn Your patience, ridicule Your mercy. All around is monstrous profanity of Your Name, reckless blasphemy, and colossal disregard for Your holiness, Your power and Your majesty.
Father, all through Scripture, we see that in many ways our course is tied to those who share a common existence with us, who participate with us in society and nationhood. We see this both at leadership and social level.
We think of the prophet Daniel, coming before You, asking for forgiveness for an entire nation (Daniel 9:4-19) understanding how the unfolding events of his life were affected by the attitudes and actions of those around (Daniel 9:4-5)
Elsewhere in Scripture, we see how our lives our welfare, our safety is tied to others. The apostle Paul instructs believers to pray for... those in authority, so that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness (1 Timothy 2:2). We see how King David's pride in his military might led to a widespread plague among the people (1 Chronicles 21:1-17) and how Achan's wrong-doing caused defeat for an entire nation in what should have been a simple operation. (Joshua 7).
We know, Father, that You are Sovereign over all, but You have placed us in community, and the actions and affairs of community inevitably affect us. Help us not to throw up our hands in helplessness, or seek to overcome by force.
Help us to pray fervently on behalf of a world that refuses to acknowledge Your power, that insists on mistaking Your grace for impotence. You are slow to anger, but You are great in power, and You will not leave the guilty unpunished.
And for those who long for all to be right with the world, help us to understand that includes confronting our own sin. Help us to confess them before You. Help us to bow down in holy fear and reverence. Teach us the godly sorrow [that] leads to repentance (2 Corinthians 7:10).
O Lord, we could easily be swallowed up by the violence and chaos and destruction all around us. We could easily be swallowed up by the consequences of individual and collective decisions. But we ask for Your mercy as we pray the prayer of Daniel: "We do not make requests of You because we are righteous, but because of Your great mercy. Lord, listen! Lord, forgive! Lord, hear and act!” (Daniel 9:19).
Father, You are justified in Your judgments. We know that You right all wrongs, but O God, in wrath remember mercy (Habakkuk 3:2).
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