In the wake of recent killings in El Paso and Gilroy, white supremacy is now the number one cause of domestic terrorism within the US. It seems the KKK just won’t go away in the South, as was the case recently in Hillsborough, N.C. Considering the uptick in white supremacist violence, how should Christians respond? One way is through prayer and the hope is that this list will provide some useful prayer pointers.
Pray against the lies that whites in America ‘are being replaced’, ‘face genocide’ and that there are ‘massive demographic changes’ taking place.
Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced his perfect love.
1 John 4:18
There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male and female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus.
Gal 3:28
Pray that those who have these fears would be overwhelmed by love and that, if they profess to be Christian, the fruits of the Spirit would grow in their lives.
But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
Gal 5:22
Ask God to stop the spread of these lies on social media; where hate speech exists on servers, pray they would suffer from power outages and data would become corrupted. Pray that those websites would load slowly and generally be difficult to access. Ask God to prevent classic works of literature, that argue for race purity, to be prevented from being stocked and sold in both online and local bookstores.
Neighbors lie to each other, speaking with flattering lips and deceitful hearts.
May the Lord cut off their flattering lips and silence their boastful tongues.
They say, “We will lie to our hearts’ content. Our lips are our own—who can stop us?”
Psa 12:2-4
When news programmes promote messages of intolerance, pray that the broadcasters would be held to account. May many Christians be filled and inspired by the Holy Spirit so that they can challenge these transmissions with God’s truth. Ultimately, ask God to prevent white supremacists from being given platforms to espouse their views. If a white supremacist has posted articles spreading hate, pray that they would have a change of heart and successfully remove all their former articles from the internet.
Therefore, Lord, we know you will protect the oppressed, preserving them forever from this lying generation, even though the wicked strut about, and evil is praised throughout the land.
Psa 12:7-8
I don’t speak on my own authority. The Father who sent me has commanded me what to say and how to say it.
Joh 12:49
Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
Eph 6:17
Pray that white supremacists would be shown love and experience acts of kindness and that these would be received without cynicism.
To the pure you show yourself pure, but to the crooked you show yourself shrewd.
2 Sam 22:27
I am fully convinced, my dear brothers and sisters, that you are full of goodness. You know these things so well you can teach each other all about them.
Rom 15:15
Pray for an end of all dehumanizing speech. Immigrants and refugees do not ‘invade’ or ‘swarm’ and they are not ‘vermin’.
Treat them like native-born Israelites, and love them as you love yourself. Remember that you were once foreigners living in the land of Egypt. I am the Lord your God.
Lev 19:34
Pray a blessing on organisatons working with the other.
Blessed are those who are generous, because they feed the poor.
Pro 22:9
Faith leaders need to be empowered to speak out within their own faith communities and to challenge extremists. Pray that they would be able to do this and that the link between money and message would be broken. All too often pastors are paid by their congregations and must be approved by church boards, as a result they hold any views that may upset and challenge congregants in check rather than speaking out.
They tell the seers, “Stop seeing visions!”
They tell the prophets, “Don’t tell us what is right.
Tell us nice things. Tell us lies.
Isa 30:10
Pray this way for kings and all who are in authority so that we can live peaceful and quiet lives marked by godliness and dignity.
1 Tim 2:2
Where concepts based on eugenics have taken root within culture (such as the idea that it is not worth providing healthcare to the poor because that goes against the notion of natural selection and survival of the fittest) pray that they would be uprooted.
Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you.
Jam 1:27
Pray that white supremacists would have hope for the future, rather than venerating the past and fearing the loss of cultural norms that were far from perfect to begin with. Pray against historical amnesia that overlooks past injustice.
I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Rom 15:13
Where scholarly-veneers (pseudo-science) have been applied to notions white supremacists already want to believe, ask that academic counter-arguments and proofs would be well read, expressed in ways that many understand, and circulated widely. Pray for more academics to speak up against the false science that gives rise to white supremacy.
Yes, we know that “we all have knowledge” about this issue. But while knowledge makes us feel important, it is love that strengthens the church.
1 Cor 8:1
May everyone reading and praying through this list realise they may have unconscious biases and that they can ask God to tenderly reveal and address these.
Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.
Psa 139:23
May love inform immigration policies and might Christians be examples of this love.
Don’t forget to show hospitality to strangers, for some who have done this have entertained angels without realizing it!
Heb 13:2
So you, too, must show love to foreigners, for you yourselves were once foreigners in the land of Egypt.
Deu 10:19
Three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love.
1 Cor 13:13
For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home.
Mat 25:35
For victims of white supremacist violence and insults, ask God to heal them. May they respond with love and forgiveness rather than retaliation and retribution.
He has sent me to tell those who mourn that the time of the Lord’s favor has come,
and with it, the day of God’s anger against their enemies.
To all who mourn in Israel, he will give a crown of beauty for ashes,
a joyous blessing instead of mourning, festive praise instead of despair.
In their righteousness, they will be like great oaks that the Lord has planted for his own glory.
Isa 61:2-3
Ask for opportunities for former white supremacists to apologise and make reparations where possible and if appropriate.
People who conceal their sins will not prosper, but if they confess and turn from them, they will receive mercy.
Pro 28:13
Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.
Jam 5:16
But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.
1 Joh 1:9
Pray that all people everywhere would recognize that any person or nation’s greatness is a gift from God and not due to race. All blessings are given to us so that we can bless others. May each of us recognize that intrinsic human worth is not rooted in national origin.
I will make you into a great nation. I will bless you and make you famous, and you will be a blessing to others.
Gen 12:2
Then God said, “Let us make human beings in our image, to be like us.”
Gen 1:26
Sources
The Atlantic:
The Death Rattle of White Supremacy
White Nationalism’s Deep American Roots
ABC News: KKK, counter-protesters gather outside Hillsborough courthouse
Premier Christian Media: Religious Leaders must take responsibility for extremists says Archbishop
Hope not hate: From banners to bullets
If this prayer guide is useful to you, it would encourage us to know, please comment below.
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