Our Father and God, You have established Your Church as a royal priesthood in this world, and so we intercede for the nations of men now, confessing on their behalf so that the grace of Your forgiveness will soon be extended to them all.
Father and God, we would be a God-fearing people, but we recognize that it is the tendency of all sin to lead us away from that fear. We live in a nation of which it can truly be said that there is no fear of God before their eyes. Father, we cry out to You now, asking You to give this land a glimpse of Your righteousness—Your love, Your justice, Your kindness, Your severity. We pray that You would do this is such a way that we as a nation from the president on down, from the lowliest citizen up, return to a fear of You.
We know, Father, that if we in the Church regard iniquity in our own midst, or in our own hearts, this prayer will be ineffectual
. And so, Father, we confess that we in the church have drifted away from fearing You. We acknowledge with humiliation that we have led the country astray. Why would the people who are not called by Your name fear You when the people who are called by Your name do not? Forgive us for our great sin in this, we pray.
We confess our particular sins to You now—and Selah . . . We do this in the strong and upright name of Jesus Christ, and amen.
You will eat the good of the land if you are willing and obedient. In this case you have obeyed God by confessing. You have been willing to accept His indictment of your sins. Because of that, and as a minister of grace, I declare to you that your sins are forgiven through Christ.
Congregation: Thanks be to God!