Sovereign Lord of the nations and holy Father,
We thank you for India—this beautiful nation, whose soul was liberated 77 years ago from the yolk of colonialism. We acknowledge India’s tryst with destiny was part of your grand design. You providentially brought it forth through the selfless work of many men and women.
We thank you for the idea of India—a vast and diverse people, united as one nation. We thank you for the freedoms we enjoy, and the rights guaranteed to us in our constitution. Also, we thank you for your protection of this Republic against numerous enemies within and without through all these years. Lord, we thank you for your mercy towards India.
Sovereign Lord of the nations and holy Father,
As you hear our prayer for India, we bemoan our own failures and sins for the times we have failed to live up to the ideals of this great nation. We confess our failure to be good and upright citizens when we mistreat and malign those different from us and turn a blind eye to injustice and corruption. We have disregarded the cries for justice while being sheltered in our citadels of comfort.
In our silence we have actively perpetrated systems of discrimination that seek to divide those made in the image of God on the basis of their caste, creed, and culture. We have failed to speak truth to power and confront the darkness of lies that shroud our nation. We have sinned tremendously by our many sins of omission and commission. Lord, have mercy upon us.
Sovereign Lord of the nations and holy Father,
Look upon this nation of India and see her tears. Ravaged by the disease of sin, she tears herself apart. Bigotry and hate reigns as might oppresses the weak. A land of much promise lies corrupt and wastes away.
The cries of the orphan and the abandoned goes unheard. The suffering of the slums and the outcasts goes dismissed. Ignorance and superstition blind men and women, as they suffocate in their own greed and corruption. Justice is undone, violence is unleashed, and your church is oppressed in this land. Lord, have mercy upon India.
Sovereign Lord of the nations and holy Father,
We dream of a nation where all men and women are treated equally, where the church is free to proclaim the gospel without restrictions, where women can walk the streets safely without fear, where there is no concept of caste, where babies are not aborted in the womb, where public officials work tirelessly for the common good, and where the poor do not go to bed hungry.
We dream not in vain, for you have placed us here in India with a purpose as you once placed your people Israel in Babylon. Help us to seek the peace and prosperity of India, for in it lies our welfare. Help us to boldly pray for India and work for her good. Lord, have mercy upon India.
Sovereign Lord of the nations and holy Father,
Pour out your Spirit upon India for the soul of this nation can only be revived by true spiritual transformation. Awaken people to the truth of the gospel that is revealed in your Son Jesus Christ. Convict the people of their sin and turn them to living faith. We pray for your Word to bear plentiful fruit in this land.
Send forth your servants and cause them to hold out the gospel—clearly, effectively, and without fear. Reform your church and revive your people by your Word. Wake us up from our complacency so that we might with courage and conviction testify to your glory by our words and deeds. May we be your agents of grace to India. Lord, have mercy upon India.
Sovereign Lord of the nations and holy Father,
It is you who reigns over India and all other nations, who are Lord of all our freedoms. We pray that the pledge and promise of India made so many years ago be fulfilled. Bless this grand republic of ours. May this great nation not perish in judgment. But Lord, have mercy upon India.
This we pray in Christ Jesus’s name.
Amen.
