Father, we repent. As a nation we have laughed in Your face as we’ve disregarded Your clear pattern for our homes. We break our marriage vows. We fail to teach our sons and daughters to respect our authority and society’s, but mostly Your authority. Forgive us, God.
We’ve allowed our hearts to place wealth, things, work, appearances, and pleasure above You. Forgive us, God.
We’ve allowed society to teach lies to our children, to take over the responsibility that is ours of instilling in them the qualities they need to become responsible citizens—individuals. Forgive us, God.
We’ve allowed the media to shape our thinking, to do our thinking for us. Forgive us, God.
We spend more time being entertained than in thinking of and serving You. Forgive us, God.
We’ve made sports our god, giving the game higher priority over Your Word or gathering to worship You. Forgive us, God.
We’ve replaced waiting before You and savoring Your presence and Your truth with quick-stop, hit-and-run servings of watered down, feel-good messages that don’t bring lasting change in our lives. Then we call it a worship service, and merely go back to our every day lives the same way we came in. Forgive us, God.
We have sold our future and our children’s—for our comfort, pleasure and instant gratification. We’ve made having fun our god, and the acquisition of things our goal and purpose. Forgive us, God.
We have lifted celebrities above You, and exalted them as examples before our young. Forgive us, God.
We’ve winked at every form of sin and depravity, turning them into dramas and fodder for comedy. Then we sit and laugh at the very things You hate. Forgive us, God.
We’ve turned our churches into social clubs, their music into me-oriented pop songs instead of songs of worship and praise to You. We’re more concerned about programs than in seeking Your face. Forgive us, God.
We’ve elected officials who will serve our interests rather than those who fear You and seek Your directions for the decisions they make. Forgive us, God.
We’ve allowed our patriotism to develop into national pride as though by our own efforts and goodness we deserve the blessings that You have showered upon our nation. We’ve boasted of our superiority as a nation, as though we have no shame, filling the hearts of the rest of the world with disgust and hatred of our arrogance. Forgive us, God.
We repent of these sins, and more. We humble ourselves before You anew. We ask You to forgive us and to grant mercy upon our nation. We don’t deserve Your blessings. We don’t deserve godly leadership. We acknowledge that we deserve Your judgment. In mercy, Lord, give us not what we deserve. Give us godly leadership who will acknowledge You, who will seek Your face for guidance in our affairs, and who will lead us to better serve You.
We humbly ask these things in the name of our loving Lord Jesus Christ.