A Prayer for Our Country During a Time of Division – 5786, by David Abernethy

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21 June 2026 under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike (CC BY-SA) 4.0 International copyleft license

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21st century C.E., 58th century A.M., American Jewry of the United States, civic prayers, civic responsibility, democracy, Donald Trump, English vernacular prayer, pluralism, United States, United States midterm election 2026

A prayer for the United States of America, during a time when we are deeply divided – and a plea for unity, respect and civility in our country.

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	Our God and God of our ancestors, with mercy and understanding accept our prayer for our country and for ourselves.
	Help us find the strength to put away despair at the hatred and division in our land, and to reach out to one another to seek peace and reconciliation throughout our country and all Creation.
	Instill in us the courage to speak out against the violence and oppression in our nation, and to uproot the violence and oppression in our own hearts.
	Grant us the wisdom to close our ears to words of anger and contempt, and to open our mouths to speak words of shalom, to friends and strangers, supporters and adversaries alike.
	And help us do these things with faith that others will too, and that together we may find peace despite our differences, freedom unburdened by violence or fear, and renewed blessing from the One who helped our forebears create the United States of America as a nation dedicated to liberty, opportunity and tolerance for all.
	And let us say Amen.

“A Prayer for Our Country During a Time of Division – 5786” was offered by David Abernethy on 1 March 2026.

David Abernethy

David Abernethy is a retired lawyer living near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He is a member of the Beth Am Israel community in Penn Valley, Pennsylvania.

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Three Flags by Jasper Johns (1959) in the collection of the Whitney Museum of Art

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ויהי נעם אדני אלהינו עלינו ומעשה ידינו כוננה עלינו ומעשה ידינו כוננהו׃ (תהלים צ:יז) · "May the pleasantness of אדֹני our elo’ah be upon us; may our handiwork be established for us — our handiwork, may it be established." (Psalms 90:17)

A Prayer for Our Country During a Time of Division – 5786, by David Abernethy

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