I’ve been sharing quotes from Puritan author and Scottish pastor Samuel Rutherford who lived during the tumultuous times of the 1600s. He loved his country and lamented the lack of sincere faith among its citizens. Here is an example of one such lamentation:

Oh, that this land were humbled in time, and by prayers, cries, and humiliation, would bring Christ in at the church-door again, now when His back is turned towards us, and He is gone to the threshold, and His one foot, as it were, is out of the door! I am sure that His departure is our deserving; we have bought it with our iniquities; for even the Lord’s own children are fallen asleep, and, alas! professors are made all of shows and fashions, and are not at pains to recover themselves again. Every one hath his set measure of faith and holiness, and contenteth himself with but a stinted measure of godliness, as if that were enough to bring him to heaven.

As believers our utmost allegiance is to the kingdom of God, not to our own countries here on earth. We are called by Jesus to seek first the kingdom of God as citizens of heaven. But that doesn’t preclude us from loving our countries, from having a healthy and God-honoring kind of patriotism. But what does that kind of biblical patriotism and love of country look like? It looks like the prayer above.

Rutherford knew his true allegiance was to Christ and his kingdom but he also knew that God judges nations and calls nations, not just individuals, to acknowledge and praise him. And our sins, both individual and corporate, will be brought to account. This is not a call for any country to become a theocracy. Church and state should remain separate. But just as sin in the church will be brought to light and God’s people will be disciplined, the sins of any nation will be brought to account as well.

The prayer above is informed by the truth that though the nations rage, God has set his King on Zion (Psalm 2), that all nations should recognize the Lord’s reign and that he judges the whole world in righteousness and equity (Psalm 96), and that all nations and all peoples should be glad and sing for joy in him (Psalm 67). But it’s also informed by the words of the apostle Peter who warned that judgment will begin with the people of God and called the church to live as holy obedient children, sober-minded with our hope set on the grace to be brought to us when Jesus Christ is revealed (see 1 Peter 1:13-16; 4:12-19).

So love your country by praying for it. Pray that its leaders would acknowledge that the Lord reigns and their authority comes from him. Pray that the leaders of your country would do what is right in the fear of the Lord. And pray for the church, for the people of God in all nations to live in such a way as to commend the gospel of Christ to all men.