Strenthen me, O God, by the grace of thy holy Spirit.

Grant me to be strengthened with might in the inner man, and to empty my heart of all useless care and anguish; so that I be not drawn away with sundry desires of anything whatever, whether mean or precious, but that I look on all things as passing away, on myself also as soon to pass away with them.

For nothing abideth under the sun, where all things are vanity and vexation of spirit. O how wise is he that so considereth them!

O Lord, grant me heavenly wisdom, that I may learn above all things to seek and to find thee, above all things to enjoy and to love thee, and to think of all other things as they really are, according to thy wise ordering.

Grant me prudence to avoid him that flattereth me, and to endure patiently him that contradicteth me.

Because it is a great part of wisdom not to be moved with every wind of words, nor to give ear to an evil flatterer; for thus I shall walk securely in the way which I have begun.

[From Of the Imitation of Christ, Book II, Chapter XXVII, #4-5.]

Holy God, today I pray again for the USA and for this coming day of voting for a new president.  We need You in the center of our world.  We need You changing hearts and minds, clearing us of all the worldly debris that is clogging us.  We need You and Your people to remind us of what is right and good and holy.  We don't know any longer.  We are all twisted up.  We think we understand and then we find out that we never even knew You.  You are that deep and amazing.
    Father, I pray for good government.  I ask You to give us good government in the USA.  I ask You to have mercy on us even though we haven't repented, we haven't humbled ourselves, we haven't sought Your face.  We haven't done any of the things that are required to bring about the promise, but I ask for it anyway.  I ask You to be merciful because You are merciful.  I ask You to give Your church another chance to wake up and be about the work that You've called us to.  I ask You, Lord God, on the very character of who You are, to remember Your Name which You placed in this nation hundreds of years ago. I know, Lord, that our ancestors weren't perfect, but the leaders believed that You were God and that You were involved in the ordinary and the extra-ordinary affairs of men.  They used Your Book when they laid out the principles to guide this nation. Remember what You started.  Bring the USA to its day of completion in Christ.  Does a man begin to build without considering the cost?  Neither, Father, would the great God of heaven, begin to build a nation without considering the cost and what it will take to complete it.  I'm sorry that hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, and terrorist attacks are not enough to draw our eyes up to You and acknowledge that You are Creator and Sovereign.
    But, still I ask You for good government, in spite of our evil and foolish thinking. In spite of our unwillingness to submit to You in all things and acknowledge Your greatness and mercy and love, I still ask for good government.  I ask it because Your Word says that You want us to have good government so that we may live in peace, so that the Gospel can go forward unimpeded, so that the Name of Jesus would be glorified.  So I ask You, Absolutely Able, to give us good government in the USA so that the Name of Jesus the Christ would be glorified in the Capitol Building, glorified in the White House, glorified in the Pentagon, glorified in NY and CA and TX and Maine, Florida, and beyond.  I ask You to glorify the Name of Jesus our Redeemer in the schools and colleges and universities, in the businesses and banks and Wall Street, in the hospitals and research labs and clinics. I ask You, our Blessed Assurance, to give us good government in our churches, in our courts, in our counties.  We are nothing without You.  We have nothing of worth.  We have no worth.  Unless You pour out Your grace upon us.
    So I ask You for good government because of our desperate need.  What father gives his son a snake when he asks for a fish?  Certainly not our loving Father. So I plead Your character of love before You this day.  We need good government.  We need leaders on all levels who will yield to Your Sovereignty and seek Your wisdom.  We need You involved in the work each person's heart.  We need Your Spirit moving across this country once again, free to enter any building or gathering, free to shepherd His children wherever they roam. We need Your Spirit to cleanse us again.  We need Your Spirit to purify us and prepare us for Jesus' return.  We need You for all these things, loving Father. It isn't the economy or even the form of government that terrifies me when I think of the future. Not the loss of freedoms or the possible persecution of Your church. What scares me about the end times is how Your church falls away, too.  How Your church rejects You.  How Your church refuses to suffer for Your Name.  How Your church doesn't get that You are worthy of every sacrifice that we possess and could offer.
    It shames me, Lord God, that we aren't any different than the world when it comes to the desires of our hearts, to our need for comfort and rights and glory.  That we want what we want when we want it.  That we don't think differently.  That we won't persevere longer. That we give in to temptation at the first volley. My God in heaven, I ask You to forgive Your church and wake us up, shake us up, teach us the Truth, the full truth of Your Holy Word via Your Holy Spirit who guides us into all Truth.  You know what we need and that's why I pray for You to bring us good government.  I don't ask for what my foolish heart clings to as right.  I ask for Your right.  I ask for Your mercy.  I ask for Your grace and Your Holy Spirit to have the right to move without infringement from the forces of evil in the heavenly realms.  I ask You to shine brighter than the sun, to burn up the evil that would encompass us.  I ask You to withhold Your righteous wrath again and to give us another chance to depend on You and trust You and submit to You and obey You.  Thank You for being a compassionate and loving God.  Thank You for providing what we need when we need it.  Thank You for not being swayed from Your ultimate goal of glorifying the Name.  You are worthy to be praised.  You are the only great and glorious God.  You are holy.  You are Sovereign King.  You are the Great I AM.  Before time began, You ARE.
    Thank You for not changing to suit the desires and cultures of man.  Thank You for being faithful to Your Word even when we are not.  Thank You for the shed blood of Jesus Christ that takes away the sin of the world.  Thank You for living again, Holy Jesus, and defeating death and sin and Satan at the Cross.  You are the Victor.  You are always the Victor.  You will reign forever.  Independent of the governments of men and the nations that rise and fall, You are LORD God Almighty, Maker of Heaven and Earth, Author and Perfecter of our faith, the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. In You we have no fear of what this world offers during our short walk of faith.  We trust You.  We find peace in the shelter of Your wings, Strong Tower, Rock of Refuge, Shield, and One Hope.  To You be the glory, great things You have done and will do.
    Thank You for giving us good government. I choose to believe You hear the desperate cry of Your daughter asking in Your will: grant us good government that we may live in peace, that the Gospel will go forward unimpeded, that the Name of Jesus Christ will be glorified.  Amen and amen.
    In Jesus' name.  Amen.