Pastor Rob Pacienza urges church to pray for nation before Tuesday’s vote

On May 17, 1776, John Witherspoon, a Presbyterian minister and future signer of the Declaration of Independence, preached at Princeton on a day of fasting that the Continental Congress had appointed for all the colonies. War had already begun, and independence was less than two months away. Witherspoon called the day a “day of solemn humiliation,” and before speaking about the conflict, he directed his hearers to the sovereign providence of God.

Dr. Robert J. Pacienza, senior pastor of Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and CEO and President of Coral Ridge Ministries, has drawn on that sermon in a recent prayer piece for the nation. He explains that “humiliation” in Witherspoon’s sense meant a day when a people humbles itself before God, confesses its sins, and seeks his mercy. Pacienza writes that the church can follow that pattern before ballots are cast on Tuesday, bowing low and asking the Lord to have mercy on the land (Micah 6:8).

Pacienza argues that confession must begin with the church. He writes that the church has prayed too little, has placed more hope in political victories than in the gospel, and has often treated people on the other side of political questions with contempt rather than love. He also says the nation has its own confession to make, including having forgotten God as the giver of all good gifts, having shed innocent blood, and having rejected God’s design for marriage and the family.

As an illustration, Pacienza points to Daniel’s prayer for his people in exile. He notes that Daniel did not list his people’s virtues but confessed their sin, and then grounded his plea in God’s great mercy rather than in their righteousness. Pacienza states that the same mercy is found in Jesus Christ, through whom, he writes, people from every nation may draw near to the throne of grace (Hebrews 4:16).

From that confession, Pacienza writes, believers are free to ask God boldly for blessing. He draws on Psalm 67, which asks that God be gracious and bless his people, and he notes that the psalm states its purpose: that God’s way may be known on earth and his saving power among all nations. He also cites Paul’s instruction in 1 Timothy 2:2 to pray for those in high positions, and he writes that this includes every candidate on Tuesday’s ballot, both those the author supports and those he opposes.

Pacienza also addresses the relationship between prayer and civic duty. He quotes Witherspoon’s warning against trusting in “an arm of flesh” or sitting with folded hands while expecting miracles, and concludes that believers should pray and then vote, leaving the outcome to God. He closes his prayer with petitions for forgiveness, for wisdom for those who will govern, and for an awakening in the land. He ends with the words of Psalm 67:7: “God shall bless us; let all the ends of the earth fear him!”

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