Praying For Congress

Near the Rotunda of the Capitol, there is a small prayer room. It is a quiet place where individual Representatives and Senators may withdraw to seek Divine strength and guidance, both in public affairs and in their own lives.

Inside the Congressional Prayer Room is a stained-glass window with George Washington kneeling in prayer as the focal point. Surrounding him are the words from Psalm 16:1, “Preserve me, O God, for in thee do I put my trust.” Above him are the words from Lincoln’s Gettysburg address: “This Nation Under God.”

Every Wednesday morning, Senate Chaplain Barry Black leads a prayer time and shares breakfast and fellowship. These meetings are currently spearheaded by James Lankford, a Republican, and Chris Coons, a Democrat. In a tradition dating back to 1943, Senators have met weekly to pray with and for one another. Close to 25% of the Senators participate in this season of prayer. Talking politics is off-limits, but hearing one another’s hearts is paramount.

People attend the weekly Senate Prayer Breakfast for a variety of reasons. The meetings offer a spiritual respite from an otherwise hectic life. Then there’s the literal breaking of bread – uninterrupted visiting time over pastries and coffee. It’s about seeing each other as more than colleagues but as friends.

Senator Coons states, “If we actively choose to seek out those that we’re likely to disagree with, whose backgrounds and profiles are different than our own, we’re more likely to see our assumptions about them proven wrong than confirmed. We’re more likely to find a person not so dissimilar from ourselves, with their own perspective but a shared humanity.”

Prince of Peace, we lift up the men and women who represent all Americans in the Senate and House of Representatives. In a fiercely divided political climate, we ask that You would help our Congress work together and compromise in godly ways for the good of our nation. By Your miraculous power, would You speak to the hearts of our government leaders so that they can put agendas aside to work together in humility and to serve for the good of our nation?

• Pray that our Congress would have a desire and unity of heart to do what is best for America.
• Pray for members of Congress who do not call upon Jesus as Lord and Savior to have a divine encounter with Him.
• Ask God to help our lawmakers seek Your wisdom so they don’t try to govern in their own strength.
• Ask the Father to expose and remove those who have evil intent for our nation.
• Ask for God’s protection over every Congressional family and that those who call upon Your name would be able to stand in the face of persecution and ridicule by those who are attempting to vilify the children of God.