A Prayer for the Postal Plebiscite

Great and Holy God, You alone are the Lord and King. To Your Name belong glory, greatness, power, and praise.

As our nation discuss and debate the matter of marriage, I thank you for the gift of marriage. You established and designed it to be the union between one man and one woman in covenant faithfulness. Thank you for the blessings of sexual pleasure, spiritual partnership, and procreation in marriage. I pray that we would enjoy the great sexual, spiritual, and social benefits. Father, as our nation votes in this postal plebiscite, I pray for the Church and for our nation.

I firstly pray for Your Church. We are grateful to You for the gift of salvation and the forgiveness of our sins. Thank you for making the way for us to have peace with You by Your grace, through faith alone in Jesus Christ. I praise You for the hope of Heaven You give us, and for the privilege of being able to serve You in the Church and in the world. I pray that Your Church would make much of Christ in our attitudes and actions. Help us to be holy and humble in our conduct and conversation. Help us to engage in conversations with Biblical conviction, clarity, and compassion. I pray particularly for all Christian marriages. Please protect them from the numerous attacks that come from selfishness, sexual sin, and other damaging assaults. I pray that Christian husbands would love their wives with the sacrificial, sanctifying, and settled love Christ has for His Church. I pray for Christian wives, that they would submit to and support their husbands, as the Church is to do for Christ. I ask that You would enable Christian marriages to be faithful and to flourish, and to provide a clear picture of the relationship between Christ and the Church to a looking world. For those that have children, I pray that Christian parents would love, raise, and nurture them in the way of Your Word.

I now pray for our nation. Firstly I want to thankyou for our country. Thank you for the beauty of our land, and for the opportunities You give us. Secondly, I pray for our leaders. Thank You for being so gracious to us and for giving us governing authorities. Your Word teaches us that there are no authorities except from You, and the authorities that exist are appointed by You. Our leaders are Your servants for our good, so I thank You for the gift of government. I ask that You grant them the wisdom needed to lead and govern with integrity, conviction, and compassion. Help us Your people to remember to pray for them and to be excellent citizens. I also ask that You in Your mercy would prick the conscience of our nation. So many refuse to submit to Your Word and they choose to live in rebellion to it. They are supressing the truth by their unrighteousness. I pray that You help us to “speak evil of no one, to avoid quarrelling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy toward all people. For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another. But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Saviour appeared, He saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to His own mercy” by faith in Jesus Christ (Titus 3:3-6). Grant us an open door of opportunity to speak the good news of Jesus Christ to those that are lost, but help us to “act wisely toward outsiders, making the most of the time. Help our speech to always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that we may know how to answer each person” (Col. 4:5-6). The discussion of marriage is an important issue, but help us to not lose sight of the greatest need, and that is salvation found in Jesus Christ. Help us to communicate the hope of eternal life that is found in Jesus Christ alone to a sinful world.

Regardless of what choices our nation makes with regards to marriage, Father, it is with great excitement that we Your people expectedly await the day when Your Son Jesus Christ will return and establish His eternal Kingdom. He will judge the living and the dead, remove all evil, and eradicate the effects of sin. What a day that will be. Help us to keep our eyes on Him, to hold fast, and be faithful until He comes.

I pray these things in the Name of Your Majestic Son, Jesus Christ. Amen.