Prayer For Inauguration Day
Heavenly father, we bow our heads and thank you for your love.
Make us strong to do your work, willing to heed and hear your will and write on our heart these words: use power to help people.
For we are given power not to advance our own purposes, nor to make a great show in the world, nor a name.
There is, but one just use of power and it is to serve people.
Help us remember, Lord, Amen.
Almighty God, we ask that you grant abundant wisdom, courage and compassion to those chosen to lead us. May they humble themselves in your sight and recognize that all authority comes from you alone. May their service be directed to promoting the common good, protecting the weak and vulnerable, and securing peace and justice in our land and throughout the world.
We pray that you will also bestow unity, peace and harmony to all the people of our Nation. Remove from us all fear and loathing, and let us work together, with mutual respect, for life and liberty, and for peace and justice for all of your children. This we ask through Christ, our Lord. Amen.
We pray Thee O Almighty and Eternal God, Who through Jesus Christ hast revealed Thy glory to all nations, to preserve the works of Thy mercy, that Thy Church, being spread through the whole world, may continue with unchanging faith in the confession of Thy Name.
We pray Thee, who alone art good and holy, to endow with heavenly knowledge, sincere zeal, and sanctity of life, our chief bishop, Pope Francis, the Vicar of Our Lord Jesus Christ, in the government of his Church; the bishops of this nation and all other prelates and pastors of the Church; and especially those who are appointed to exercise amongst us the functions of the holy ministry, and conduct Thy people into the ways of salvation.
We pray Thee O God of might, wisdom, and justice, through whom authority is rightly administered, laws are enacted, and judgment decreed, assist with Thy Holy Spirit of counsel and fortitude President Donald Trump of these United States, that his administration may be conducted in righteousness, and be eminently useful to Thy people over whom he presides; by encouraging due respect for virtue and religion; by a faithful execution of the laws in justice and mercy; and by restraining vice and immorality. Let the light of Thy divine wisdom direct the deliberations of Congress, and shine forth in all the proceedings and laws framed for our rule and government, so that they may tend to the preservation of peace, the promotion of national happiness, the increase of industry, sobriety, and useful knowledge; and may perpetuate to us the blessing of equal liberty.
We pray for Larry Hogan, Governor of Maryland, and Muriel Bowser, Mayor of the District of Columbia, for the members of the Maryland General Assembly, the D.C. Council, and the legislatures throughout the nation, for all judges, magistrates, and other officers who are appointed to guard our political welfare, that they may be enabled, by Thy powerful protection, to discharge the duties of their respective stations with honesty and ability.
We recommend likewise to Thy unbounded mercy all our brethren and fellow citizens throughout the United States, that they may be blessed in the knowledge and sanctified in the observance of Thy most holy law; that they may be preserved in union, and in that peace which the world cannot give; and after enjoying the blessings of this life, be admitted to those which are eternal.
Finally, we pray to Thee, O Lord of mercy, to remember the souls of Thy servants departed who are gone before us with the sign of faith and repose in the sleep of peace; the souls of our parents, relatives, and friends; of those who, when living, were members of this congregation, and particularly of such as are lately deceased; of all benefactors who, by their donations or legacies to this Church, witnessed their zeal for the decency of divine worship and proved their claim to our grateful and charitable remembrance. To these, O Lord, and to all that rest in Christ, grant, we beseech Thee, a place of refreshment, light, and everlasting peace, through the same Jesus Christ, Our Lord and Savior. Amen.
Our God, we gather as Your people have gathered throughout history to acknowledge Your Lordship and our dependence on You for life and all that sustains it. We thank you for the freedom to meet together, to speak our beliefs and to worship You. We thank You for companions and mentors who equip us for the journey of learning and the challenges of living our faith responsible and honestly. On this day in particular we thank you for Your servant, Beck Taylor, whom You have brought here to serve us with energy, intelligence, imagination and love. May we not forget that each of usstaff, students and facultyhas been called and uniquely gifted by You to serve alongside Beck, guided by his leadership. May our unity as we learn, teach and relate to one another bring honor to Your name.
Above all, God, we pray that we would not cling selfishly to the heritage and beauty of this community, but that Your Spirit would mobilize us to share our riches with the entire world as an act of praise to Your character and Your mighty works in Christ. As we celebrate Whitworth University this afternoon in song, prayer and spoken word, we trust in the continuing work of Your Holy Spirit in and among us. You have given us so much, O God; give us one thing more: grant us thankful hearts.
All this we pray in the name of Jesus Christ, our Redeemer. Amen.
Dear Father, as the transition of power is taking place in our nation this week, we take time to pray for our leaders as Paul brings the charge in Scripture, The first thing I want you to do is pray. Pray every way you kow how, for everyone you know. Pray especially for rulers and their governments to rule well so we can be quietly about our business of living simply, in humble contemplation. This is the way our Savior God wants us to live. (1 Tim. 2:1-3, The Message)
We, therefore, come before you on behalf of the President of the United States, Donald J. Trump, as he is inaugurated as our 45th President. We thank you, Father, for his willingness to accept such a daunting task on behalf of the citizens of our dear nation. We thank you for his commitment to our land even as we lift him, the appointments he has and will make, along with everyone in Washington with whom he will work, before your grace and your wisdom.
We ask, Father, that you will give President Trump a clear sense of direction for his administration. Like King David of old, whom the Scriptures hail as model ruler and man after your own heart, help our President to pray I know, my God, that you test the heart and are pleased with integrity (1 Chronicles 29:17). We know that this kind of humility resulted in David's government heralded in song, And David shepherded them with integrity of heart; with skillful hands he led them (Psalm 78:72). Thus, we pray for President Trump to have a heart that governs the whole of our nation as it seeks to engage the whole of your counsel; and, we ask that you empower his hands for practical leadership to bring us together as the people we have always believed it our destiny to be blessed to be a blessing within this world.
Help President Trump to sing in all sincerity the song King David sang as he led his people, The LORD is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation. He is my stronghold, my refuge and my savior from violent men you save me. I call to the Lord, who is worthy of praise, and I am saved from my enemies (2 Samuel 22:2-4). Give him, Father, a sense of your refuge and strength as he leads us in a turbulent world. For all the strengths of leadership he brings to office and the pormise that his skills offer, we ask that you help him to daily submit to the the stronghold of your presence in order to balance the impressions that experience and opinions and varied points of view will seek to apply for his attention.
Father, President Trump's job carries more weight and responsibility than any of our citizenry can imagine, and we can imagine so much! So for the difficulty of the days, we ask that you will help him to sense your wisdom for the journey. Help him to hear you speak from that wisdom as you did to Joshua leading his govenrnment in Old Testament days: Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey [the LORD] and do not turn from him to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you goBe strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go (Joshua 1:6-9). Lead our new President with such confidence from your presence, Father.
And, as President Obama concludes his historic days of service for our nation, we thank you for his trust in your grace a trust that has sustained him in the difficult days of governing a trust that will lead him and his family into further days of service. Thank you, Father, for his encouragement to us just this past year: If Easter means anything, it's that you don't have to be afraid. We drown out darkness with light, and we heal hatred with love, and we hold on to hope. And we think about all that Jesus suffered and sacrificed on our behalf scorned, abandoned, shunned, nail-scarred hands bearing the injustice of his death and carrying the sins of the world (White House Easter Prayer Breakfast, 2016). As he leaves office, help us to remember President Obama's word pointing us to Jesus as our place of healing and hope. Help him, Father, and all of us, to continue to look to Jesus as the author and perfector of our faith as we pray on for the health and well-being of our nation and it's new President.
In many ways, Dear Father, ours is a divided nation yet a nation whose divisions are filled with passionate concerns, cultural strengths, and deeply-felt values. So, for President Trump, for Congress, for state and local government officials and for each one of us in our places of boots on the ground democracy, we pray that you will help us have a heart for one another so that we seek to understand the reasoning of others' passions and that we submit to be borne up by the strengths others contribute even as we share our values in the context of mutual respect deserving of neighbors living side by side. Help us to embrace one another as American brothers and sisters so as to reap the bounty of opposable minds geared toward the good you desire we have in common!
We are praying, Father, in the name of Jesus, for the blessing of your acknoweledged presence in the lives of those who now lead us, Amen and Amen.
God of All Eternity,
On this Inauguration Day, as we witness the transfer of one administration to the next, we pray for our nation. We pray we might continue to be a nation led by the claims In God We Trust and E Pluribus Unum (From Many, One). May we stand alongside the nations of the world with a commitment to justice for all peoples and creation.
As a people of faith we call upon your Holy Spirit your breath of heaven to shape the heart and mind of our new President, Donald Trump. May it be your spirit that inspires and informs his deliberations and decisions. Grant him wisdom and courage. Grant him grace and love. We pray for his family as they also begin this new chapter in their lives.
We pray for a new administration. At a time when our nation seeks and needs a voice for unity and grace may your spirit of justice, righteousness, wisdom, and fairness shape the actions of this new administration.
We are grateful for all those preparing to serve our nation and for those who have served these last eight years. And so with gratitude, we pray for our outgoing President Barack Obama. We pray for his family may they find a season of respite after a season of faithful service.
We also and especially pray for your Church. Empower us in these days to both speak and hear the truth in love: the truth of the loftiest hopes and deepest fears within our hearts; the truth of pain and puzzlement within us when we encounter our neighbors' hopes and fears that seem so unlike our own. Touch us deeper than the hurt, so we might know the healing of true Justice and Peace found in Jesus Christ, which has shaped our witness from the beginning. May we, as people of faith, be ambassadors and partners for the hope of this gospel able to bring reconciliation in our nation and in the world, especially as we elevate the cause of the poor, oppressed, and others frequently relegated to the margins of society.
In gratitude for the gifts and commitment of others, remind us always of our common identity as sinners saved by Your grace. By that grace, embolden us to know the power of forgiveness given and received, even as we dedicate each of our lives
all that we are, have, and are called to be for the purpose of making this land one that incarnates the values of your Kingdom.
In the name of Jesus, who is Lord of All, we pray. Amen.
We pray for the governor of this state, for the members of the legislature, for judges, elected civil officials, and all others who are entrusted to guard our political welfare. May they be enabled, by your powerful protection, to discharge their duties with honesty and ability.
We likewise commend to your unbounded mercy all citizens of the United States, that we be blessed in the knowledge and sanctified in the observance of your holy law. May we be preserved in union and that peace which the world cannot give; and, after enjoying the blessings of this life, be admitted to those which are eternal.
We pray to you, who are Lord and God, for ever and ever.
Amen.
Almighty and Sovereign God:
As our nation undergoes this presidential transition, we pray: Thy Kingdom Come.
May your Holy Spirit instill our president of righteousness and the values and principles of your kingdom to exercise the sacred trust of administering the nation.
Give our new president, his administration, and Congress the ability to honor you by doing what is right, fair, and just for all citizens, especially the poor, hungry, and marginalized.
We ask that all the people in our nation, irrespective of race, gender, ethnicity, or religious faith be treated with dignity.
We pray for the wholeness, health, integrity, soundness, welfare, security, prosperity, harmony, and justice of all the citizens of our nation.
Help our nation develop a foreign policy that fosters peace, justice, equality, and freedoms that can advance the development, rights, and privileges of our global neighbors.
Move our nation to provide international leadership in the good stewardship of all the natural resources that you have entrusted to humankind.
Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. Glory to him in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever and ever! Amen.