Rev. Donna Vande Kieft
We celebrated another 4th of July—our Independence and Freedom—in the midst of a world in turmoil and unrest as perhaps it has always been.
I listened to a Good Faith Podcast with David French which offered five themes—or a prayer posture—to guide us as we pray for our nation: for its peace, justice, grace, repentance, and reconciliation. This is a way people of faith can come together—whatever our political leanings—in prayers for unity and healing of our nation. The After Party: Toward Better Christian Politics sent a podcast link with the subject line: How to Pray for a Nation in Turmoil.
Friends,
We live in a moment when the act of praying for our country can feel either futile or impossibly fraught. These sentiments can feel especially intense when we approach holidays like the 4th of July. After all, how do you lift up a nation that feels, in so many ways, like it’s unraveling? If you’ve ever sat in that tension—wanting to pray, but unsure how or where to begin—you’re not alone.
In a conversation that felt both deeply personal and very timely, David offered five themes to guide us as we pray for our nation: for its peace, justice, grace, repentance, and reconciliation. He encouraged us especially to pray in and around the contested spaces of real life—where protests can turn violent, words can wound, and politics can pull families and churches apart.
David framed prayer not as a formality, but as a posture that can slowly reshape our instincts and reorder our affections. Peace, he said, is not the absence of conflict but the presence of a Spirit that softens our hearts in profound ways. He reminds us of three things:
* Justice is not a partisan cudgel but a long obedience toward fairness for all.
* Grace begins with us, before it ever makes its way toward our opponents.
* Reconciliation is not a return to agreement, but a move toward relationship.
Our hope is that the themes David outlined and the truths he unpacked can take root in our prayers, shape our conversations, and ultimately draw us closer—not only to each other, but to the One who holds this country, and all of us, in loving hands.
With hope and humility,
The After Party Team (used with permission)
Psalm 122
I rejoiced when I heard them announce,
“The time of warfare is past.
No more will brother hate brother
or violence have its way.
No more will they drown out God’s silence
and shut their hearts to his song.”
Pray for peace in the cities
and harmony among the races.
May peace come to live on our streets
and justice within our walls.
With all my heart I will pray
that peace comes to live among us.
For the sake of all earth’s people,
I will do my utmost for peace.
(The Psalms, trans. by Stephen Mitchell)
Rev. Donna Vande Kieft is an ordained pastor, retired hospice chaplain, volunteer reading tutor, and peacemaker.