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Gracious God,
we come before You as supplicants today, seeking comfort and hope, as terror reigns at our nation’s Capitol, spreading fears of violence throughout our land. |
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We beseech You on this terrifying day:
spread your shelter of peace over the United States of America, upon all who dwell within its borders. |
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Embolden every American
to defend democracy, to uphold our Constitution, to protect the First Amendment right to assemble in protest, and to eschew violence and mayhem. |
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Sustain us in faith
that the “better angels of our nature”[1] President Abraham Lincoln, First Inaugural Address, March 4, 1861. will be victorious, that democracy will triumph, that peace will prevail. |
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Bless the Capitol Police,
and all who are entrusted with restoring peace in Washington and throughout this land. |
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Grant wisdom to
the President, the Vice-President, and to every Senator and Member of Congress. |
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Be with the President-Elect and Vice President-Elect,
charged with unifying this divided country in the days and weeks ahead. |
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We Jews have always been
“prisoners of hope.”[2] Zechariah 9:12. restore us to hope today. Grant us trust, even on a terrible day, that we may look forward to a new day dawning, speedily and soon. Amen. |
Rabbi Block’s “Prayer for a Nation in Crisis” was first published on 6 January 2021 on RavBlog, the blog of the Central Conference of American Rabbis.

“Prayer for a Nation in Crisis, by Rabbi Barry Block (2021)” is shared by the contributors with a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International copyleft license.
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