4 Prayers to Guide Us to Spirit-Led Unity on Martin Luther King Jr. Day

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I’ll be honest, many of America’s holidays have been made into nothing more than political parties picking fights on their day off. I’m afraid MLK Jr. Day is no different. It would be easy to disconnect and attempt to ignore all the hostility a holiday can bring, but as Christians, we aren’t called to stick our heads in the sand. There is a reason our God is a lion, not an ostrich, so our calling is to mimic His bravery by tackling cultural issues with truth and love. 

Unfortunately, not all of my family recognizes our God-given equality. I come from the heart of Georgia, from a family with deep Southern roots, the sort of roots that trace back to a history of men who believed it was their right to own other men. However, these roots have eroded from underneath, as all roots of destruction do. 

In sad, short truth, I have family members who are racist deep in their bones, knowing nothing of a stranger but the skin pigment they couldn’t control, and they instantly label them as less-than, as if they aren’t humans who bleed red blood and have souls that live forever. This cruel mindset reflects the way they view all other aspects of the world, and, eventually, I had to cut ties with them.

The Reality of Sin

Yes, of course, we all have prejudices to an extent. We often believe our way of thinking or how we grew up is correct because it’s all we know. Naturally, anything different is labeled as incorrect. I’m not suggesting that I’m any better than the family members I no longer speak with, but I am suggesting that rather than living so narrow-mindedly, God has called us to hand our sinful, blinded, ignorant hearts to Him so He can soften them and unshackle them from preconceived notions the enemy hopes will trip us up and deter us from rightly loving others. 

When we discover certain sins rooted deep in our hearts, it’s an instant invitation from God for us to pursue His freedom, to step into a new way of thinking and seeing the world. It’s the opportunity to be transformed into the image of Christ. 

Thus, as we pray for our nation on MLK Jr. Day, we must begin with our own hearts. After all, our nation is built on families and their personal values. So, as we prepare to honor the strides MLK Jr. made to ensure equality for all Americans, regardless of race, consider these four prayers:

1. A Prayer to Dismantle Personal Pride

Father, in a culture desperate for identity, we too easily look to manmade systems to define our worth. We look to relationships, finances, possessions, and even politics. But Father, allow us to recognize that as eternal beings, who we are and who we should become can’t rest on anything finite. Thus, you are our lifeblood, our purpose, our reason, and our destiny.

Allow us to set aside our pride and any preconceived notions politics have placed on MLK Jr. Day so we can celebrate the beautiful truth that in our God-given differences, we display your rich creativity. You aren’t a boring God, satisfied with routine monotony. May we never allow our pride to convince us of anything different. 

May we never see who we are, whether by skin color, social class, or personal success, as anything other than human beings made in your image. May that be all the worth we need. May that truth settle our souls and allow us to humbly accept that we are all equal, all able to approach your throne through your Son, Christ Jesus. 

We praise your almighty, creative name, Father. Amen. 

2. A Prayer to Respond to Conviction

Father, it’s no secret that each of us struggles with prejudice. With our limited perspectives, it’s easy to assume our way of thinking and/or doing things is right. Bless us with your Holy Spirit’s conviction, revealing to us where we need to have a change of heart. As you reveal truth to us, give us the boldness to respond in humble obedience. 

Let us have the courage to face the parts of us that must be shed, and give us the strength to walk away from them and towards your goodness and light. Grant us a God-given desire to pursue freedom, even if it costs us our comfort, even if it costs us relationships, and even if it costs us all that we thought we were. 

In a world that likes to excuse sinful behavior in the name of an identity crisis, may we know within our souls that our identity rests in you, and with such a gift should come a gratitude that beckons us to listen to your voice and to respond to your convictions with desperate surrender. 

We praise your brave, strong name, Lord. Amen.

Photo Credit: ©iStock/Getty Images Plus/PeopleImages 

3. A Prayer to Pause Political Division

Jesus, when you came to earth, you chose to enter a historical time rotten with political manipulation. Rome was brutal, even heinous, in its rule over your people. Even still, your mission wasn’t to upend militaries or oppressive governments. Your mission was to radically save and change the hearts and souls of sinners, and through this miraculous gift, we were promised that you would bring beauty to our pain and peace to our chaos. And, in the end, we are guaranteed that your kingdom is the only one that will reign, where there will never be tyranny or deception, only rest and freedom for your children for all of time. 

On MLK Jr. Day, as both sides of the political aisle weaponize a holiday meant to celebrate our God-given equality, allow us to pause the division. Grant us the wisdom to disconnect from social media, news stations, and any other political platforms that will want us to do nothing more than point fingers and hate. May we remember that hating another will never grant us worth or fulfillment. Instead, it will spread the false message that some of us are better than others, as if we aren’t all desperately in need of the grace and mercy of the cross. 

The political noise is exhausting, but love, the sort that casts aside hate, is what brings us back to life. May we chase after your heart and find that your love binds the wounds of us all, no matter what we look like. 

We praise your lovely, merciful name, Jesus. Amen. 

4. A Prayer to Love One Another 

Lord, help us recognize that if loving others were easy, it wouldn’t be a command. You wouldn’t need to charge us with this beautiful high-calling. It would simply be natural. But our natural state is rooted in selfishness, geared toward personal elevation, and it easily uses fear to keep us from doing what’s right. Don’t allow us to settle for such shallow living, God. 

Make us too uncomfortable with a mere lukewarm devotion to your Golden Rule. Get under our skin so we have no choice but to fully surrender ourselves to the truth that you are God of all, creating a spiritually even playing field, no matter where we come from. 

In this truth, may we humbly put others before ourselves, considering how our words and actions impact them. May we see each other as mothers and fathers, husbands and wives, brothers and sisters, friends and coworkers. May we see each other as people with trauma, with fear, with a past, and with a desperate need to be known, loved, and safe. May we see each other as beating hearts and souls who will live forever. 

Let us lean into your example of love, Father, where we have no excuse but to follow in your all-loving footsteps of total sacrifice. 

We praise your devoted, selfless name, God. Amen. 

The Calling Behind the Celebration

Certain holidays aren’t only celebrations but a calling to become more. This MLK Jr. Day, regardless of your political association or personal views, open your heart to God’s Word and ask Him to reveal how you can better love your neighbor and humbly accept equality for all nations and all skin colors, all year long.

Photo Credit: ©Wikimedia Commons 

Peyton Garland is an author, editor, and boy mama who lives in the beautiful foothills of East Tennessee. Subscribe to her blog Uncured+Okay for more encouragement.