Book Title:
One Nation Under God: 40 Devotions for Patriotic Women
Author:
Amanda C. Bauch
Publishing Information:
Post Hill Press, 2025
Link to Buy Book:
Synopsis:
Christians disagree on many issues, but one thing we all agree on is that prayer works. And what better way to serve our country and our fellow Americans than to pray for them? One Nation Under God encourages believers to pray for our nation’s citizens and leaders, regardless of who occupies positions in government. Each devotional focuses on a Bible verse that speaks to an issue facing America, discusses how the text relates to us today, and includes inspirational prompts, reflection questions, and journaling space to capture your thoughts.
Author Bio:
Amanda C. Bauch is the author of One Nation Under God: 40 Devotions for Patriotic Women. As a collaborative writer and editor, she has worked on well over a hundred books, including several bestsellers. Alongside her pastor-husband, she’s raising a son and daughter in Nashville, Tennessee.
Book Excerpt:
Introduction
Tears streamed down my face as I slowly read through the day’s headlines on my phone. It seemed that every day, the more I scrolled, the worse I felt.
Once in a while, a news site I frequented would post a positive or inspirational story, but those were few and far between. Nevertheless, each day I sifted through stories of war, murder, suicide, violence, and political mudslinging, like a prospector shaking a tray to find an elusive golden nugget of good news.
To me, some of the most distressing news concerned events in the United States. As someone who was raised in a military family, love for this great nation has been instilled within me. We had Flag Day concerts in elementary school, where we proudly waved tiny American flags throughout the program. We had Fourth of July and Memorial Day parades, where Scouts rode bikes, drill teams twirled rifles, and marching bands performed. (I have intimate experience because I was part of the latter two groups.) At these and many other events in my small town in Southwestern New York, veterans were always a centerpiece, as we honored their service and sacrifice.
Back then, I had no way of knowing that the country I loved—and still fiercely love and would give my life for—would one day appear to be coming apart at the seams. Hence my tears at reading the daily headlines.
I cried out, “God, what is happening in this country? Everything is going off the rails, and the news seems worse every day. What can we do—what can I do—in the face of all this hatred and violence?”
One of my greatest flaws as a Christian, and as a person, is that I am a horrible listener. When I pray, I often don’t wait for a response. I typically say or write, “Amen!” and scurry along to whatever’s next on my agenda.
But that day, I sat in silence after sending up my desperate plea. I took deep, calming breaths until my nerves and mind were soothed, and wiped away my subsiding tears. As I sat there in the silent stillness, the clear, simple answer drifted into my mind: pray.
My eyes widened, and I couldn’t help but laugh.
For almost twenty years now, I’ve had a running joke with God. I cry out to Him, asking what to do. And the answer is the same: pray. You’d think that by now, I’d know this. But if life has taught me anything, it’s that I’m about as stiff-necked and stubborn as they come.
In spite of two decades of my questions being answered with pray, it still surprised me on this day. I’m not sure why, though. Did the problems America and the world were facing seem too big, the animosity too deep-seated? Or was I forgetting the thing that I always seem to forget: Prayer is the single most powerful weapon we have in our arsenal against the dark and evil forces in our world.
Even though we Christians disagree on many things, I think we can all agree that prayer is powerful.
After I was reminded to pray, another thought occurred to me: What if every Christian in the United States committed to praying for our nation each day for an entire year? What miracles could be wrought if we fell to our knees and bowed our heads for 365 days, faithfully lifting up our government, institutions, leaders, and citizens to the Lord’s throne of grace and mercy?
The Bible contains numerous instances of intercessory prayer (for a small sampling, see Genesis 18:22–33; Exodus 32:9–14; Daniel 9:3–19; and Luke 23:34). Although God is omniscient and omnipotent, He loves hearing from His children and granting those petitions that align with His will.
Honestly, even if we all pray every day for a year, America might not change. In fact, things might get even worse. I say that not to discourage or serve as a deterrent, but as a statement of fact and a hard truth of the reality of living in a sinful world. As we know from the fall of ancient Israel, sometimes a nation and a people pass a point of no return. And the Lord, in His justice, must enact punishment. Yet the faithful remnant of the Israelites was eventually restored to its land, albeit in absence of the former glory and with much heartache.
However, even if nothing changes in our country, we will be changed. Come what may, we’ll be better equipped to navigate our chaotic world, until the Lord calls us home or Jesus Christ returns. We will be able to persevere, for the Spirit of the Lord who dwells within us will continually remind us that our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ has already overcome the world (John 16:33).
Won’t you join me in praying for our country every day? We have nothing to lose, and everything to gain, for “the effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much” (James 5:16).
I’m so grateful to have you joining me on this journey, and to have you as a sister in Christ. Together we are stronger, by the power of the Holy Spirit that unites us in the body of Christ. To Him be all glory and honor, forever and ever. Amen.
Prayer That Avails Much
Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months. And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit.
—James 5:16–18
Our Father, who art in heaven…
Did I reply to that email? I’m pretty sure I did.… I’ll just grab my phone and check quickly…
No! You’re supposed to be praying. Focus!
Hallowed be Thy name…
Wait—am I picking up the kids from school today…?
Does your prayer time ever sound like this?
Mine sometimes does, and way more often than I’d care to admit.
Maybe we don’t pray daily, or our prayers are perfunctory—something to be checked off the to-do list before we move on to the next thing. Or perhaps we think we don’t know how to pray or what to pray for, or we worry that we’re not “good enough” for God to listen to us.
Christians are in a spiritual battle. The world hates us and wants to destroy us, as well as everything that is good and godly—children and unborn babies, marriage and families, peace and prosperity, among other blessings from the Lord.
While fighting this battle, we sometimes struggle to wield one of the most powerful weapons in our arsenal: prayer.
James says that “the effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.” But what is an “effective, fervent” prayer?
The effective prayer is one offered in faith, confidence, and trust that the Lord of the universe wants to hear from us and does hear us. As Jesus instructs in Matthew 7:7: “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.”
Prayer is about being in fellowship and having a conversation with God.
Think of it this way: If a husband and wife never talk to one another, will their marriage be strong? Or what if the husband only speaks to his wife when he needs something, or the wife only speaks to her husband when she wants to complain?
Consider your answers to those questions in the context of talking to God. What does your prayer life say about your fellowship with Him?
The fervent prayer is one that’s beyond “one and done”—it’s persistent and never gives up. Have you ever seen a child begging her father for something? Picture it: The child clings to the father, wrapping her arms around dad’s leg or tugging on dad’s hand. She looks up at her father with wide, pleading eyes. She might say over and over again, “Please, Daddy, please please please?” That is a visual image of a fervent prayer.
The notion that the prayer must be from a “righteous man” might throw us for a loop. We might wonder if we’re “righteous” enough for our prayers to “avail much.” This is where the beauty of the Gospel shines. Our righteousness doesn’t depend on us—what we do or how we feel—because sin taints our actions and feelings. Our righteousness depends on one thing, and one thing only: the complete and sufficient work of Jesus Christ on the cross.
Since Jesus is our Savior, we’re clothed in His righteousness. So when we offer a prayer in faith, that prayer holds infinite power—power from the One who created the universe and still holds it all together.
A prayer also is effective when we seek God’s will, not our own. When we align ourselves with the Father’s will, our prayers can move mountains, because with God, all things are possible (Matthew 19:26). And even when we don’t see any immediate results from our prayers, we can trust that God’s will is being done in and through them.
To better understand this, we need look no further than James 5:16–18, with Elijah as an example of how the “effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.” Elijah was an Old Testament prophet, who spoke on God’s behalf when wicked King Ahab ruled the Northern Kingdom of Israel.
As James mentions, Elijah prayed earnestly that it wouldn’t rain for three years and six months. The Lord had warned His people about this specific punishment, in Deuteronomy 11:16–17: “Take heed to yourselves, lest your heart be deceived, and you turn aside and serve other gods and worship them, lest the Lord’s anger be aroused against you, and He shut up the heavens so that there be no rain, and the land yield no produce, and you perish quickly from the good land which the Lord is giving you.”
Because the people had turned aside and served other gods, Elijah prayed that the One True God would uphold this punishment. In this way, his will aligned with God’s will. Thus, it didn’t rain for three years and six months.
Then, in 1 Kings 18:41–46, when Elijah prayed for the drought to be lifted, the Lord once again heeded Elijah’s prayer, and it rained.
It’s easy to look at someone like Elijah and think, Of course God heard his prayers and granted his requests! He was a mighty prophet who even put his life on the line to obey and serve the Lord! Yet James dispels this idea when he says, “Elijah was a man with a nature like ours.” Elijah was just as human and just as much of a sinner in need of a Savior as the rest of us. However, this man who was made righteous by God prayed effective, fervent prayers that impacted an entire nation, because they were aligned with God’s will.
Psalm 18:6 says, “In my distress I called upon the Lord, and cried out to my God; He heard my voice from His temple, and my cry came before Him, even to His ears.” We, too, can be like Elijah and pray transformative, intercessory prayers on behalf of America, seeking His will for us. As appropriate, we can ask the Lord to withhold blessing from our nation, to lead people to repent and seek the Lord. And we can ask Him to heal and bless our nation, that His name may be honored and glorified.
Prayer
Jesus, You tell us that even if our faith is as small as a mustard seed, nothing will be impossible for us (Matthew 17:20). Please help us to be like Elijah, so we have complete confidence that You hear us when we call on You and trust that You’re mighty enough to do whatever we ask. As we lift up our nation in prayer in the coming days, allow our will for this country and its people to align with Your will for us. Amen.
For Further Reflection
- How can you make “effective, fervent” prayer a part of your daily life? What might you need to give up to make that a reality?
- What specific prayer concerns do you have for the United States? Make a list, and start lifting those petitions to the Lord, every day! As you read through this devotional, you might find even more requests to add to your list.