Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord,
The people He has chosen for His own inheritance (Psalm 33:12 NASB).
On January 7, 2021, I was leading eight 10th graders in the Pledge of Allegiance. Not only could I not finish, I had begun to weep. I felt awful for crying in front of my students and upsetting them.
“What happened?” one of them asked.
I composed myself and explained as best I could. A few of them were aware of what happened the day before, what some call insurrection and others called a large protest, a portion of which became a riot.
I’m not here to argue the terms of that day (and won’t approve argumentative comments about it). I write to propose a way to say the Pledge without hesitation in these days of division.
Over the summer, I mentioned my difficulty to a friend. I told her I was having trouble saying, among other phrases, “One nation, under God, indivisible.”
She gave a simple reply. “Say it as a prayer.”
Oh.
I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United State of America,
and to the republic for which it stands,
one nation, under God,
indivisible,
with liberty and justice for all.
I add a phrase inspired by a friend. For her, it was a statement, spoken from her heart, from conviction. For me, it’s a tribute to her, still a prayer, spoken softly, not for the ears of those around me.
Born and preborn.
As January 6, 2021, showed us, the United States has divisions that go deeper than issues like abortion. But abortion is part of our bleeding wound of strife and separation.
Say the pledge. Say it as a prayer. Silently pray about the divisions God lays on your heart.
Pray for our nation to honor God and be indivisible in that quest. Pray for the babies, their parents, their families whom we will remember this week as we mark the 49th anniversary of the 1973 Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Bolton Supreme Court decisions that legalized abortion in all 50 states until birth.
Pray those decisions will be overturned soon. Pray America will indivisibly turn to the Creator who blessed us to be here in this time.
Pray for liberty. For justice. For all. For America.
The division, factions and strife right now make me sick! I’m praying to God for unity in Jesus and for His will and His kingdom to prevail… as it is in heaven on earth. Thank you, Nancy! God bless you.
Thank you, Jessica. May we all pray for unity in Him. God bless you too!
Love, love, love the idea of saying the pledge as a prayer for our nation instead of arguing about the words! Thank you!
Thank you, Ava. God bless!
Great idea Nancy. I certainly will be praying for God to heal our country for all the sins we committed and continue to commit. God bless you for always keeping us informed.
Thank you for praying for America, Yvonne. Dear Lord, please forgive us. God bless!
Thanks for posting this much needed idea. Our country does need prayer and it can start with us.
You’re right, Sarah. It must start with us. Thanks and God bless!
Great idea. Thank you. Another great post!
Thank you for sharing this way to pray for our nation. We are most definitely in need of prayer. May God bless America.
May He, indeed. Thank you, Katherine. God bless!
Such honestly and heartful love for this nation Ms. Nancy. Like you, it breaks my heart to see how divided we’ve become, but I will not surrender my liberty and freedom in Christ to appease those I view as deceived. What I will do, is continue to pray God opens their eyes and we are returned, one American at a time, to the nation God destined us to become. We can once again, but only if we quit surrendering to the world and focus ourselves more on living out the Word.
Amen, JD. Such wisdom! Thanks and God bless!
The unity of our nation and the preservation of our values are determined by our faithfulness and our maintenance of those good values. If we’re not faithful to these values and put good values aside, we are part of the problem. However, if we do what is right and we pray for our country, we are doing all we can. We are part of the solution. Our national outcome is in God’s hands.
So it is, Melinda. May we do what we must to live for God faithfully. Thanks and God bless!
Simply beautiful, Nancy. This moved me. I like saying the Pledge of Allegiance as a prayer. And the line your friend added, silently.
Amen, Karen. Our country needs prayer as much as we ever have. Thanks and God bless!
Nancy, this is a wonderful idea which I plan to implement. Thank you!
Thank you, Annie. God bless and keep praying!