Winning a war is call for celebration and, usually, humiliation of the vanquished. But that’s not what Ulysses S. Grant had in mind when he accepted the surrender of Robert E. Lee at the close of the Civil War. As Union artillery began to pound the air in jubilation, Grant sent word to have it stopped. “The war is over,” he told his staff. “The rebels are our countrymen again.”

A light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for your glory to your people Israel. Luke 2:32

Many of the Jewish leaders in Jesus’ day firmly believed there was no place for Gentiles in God’s kingdom. Yet when Jesus was presented at the Temple, a righteous man named Simeon proclaimed that He would be the Savior not just of Israel…but of the Gentiles and all the world. It was a shocking, heretical and distasteful proclamation for some back then to be sure. There remains a natural inclination in people today to think that some are less worthy than others, forgetting that Christ is “not wishing that any should perish.” (II Peter 3:9)

As you pray for your leaders in America today, resist the urge to intercede only for those you like. Lift up all of your countrymen, remembering that no one is beyond God’s grace.

Recommended Reading: Romans 1:5-16