Father God, Lord of Heaven and Earth, on behalf of my country, I acknowledge your sovereignty over all things. Even though a very vocal minority would like to remove Your Name and influence from everything American, we are still a nation who was founded upon reverence for You, our Creator. The first settlers at Jamestown planted a cross to thank You for their safe arrival and to claim their discovery for the glory of God. Just a few years later, long before we were a nation, the first Thanksgiving was celebrated at Berkeley Plantation to thank You for life and health and sustenance. A few years later another Thanksgiving was celebrated in Plymouth, Massachusetts, giving glory to You. Our founding fathers based our Bill of Rights on the value and dignity of human life, stating this dignity was bestowed by You, our Creator. And later, our currency was stamped “In God We Trust.” Because of the heritage of our ancestors in honoring You, we approach Your throne of grace and mercy today and ask You to hear our pleas for our nation.
Father, we have so many things for which to thank you. You have blessed us beyond the wildest dreams of any nation in history. You have given us a long period of peace within our borders. You have given us wealth, learning, health and technology the world has never before seen. We thank You Father for blessing us so much. May we use your blessings for the good of mankind and bring about praise to You for Your goodness.
Father, on behalf of my nation I must confess our wrongs. The greatest, by far, is ignoring You. Not only are we ungrateful children, we misuse the gifts you’ve given us. We’ve misused our wealth, our relationships, and our bodies. Awaken us to our wrongdoing and help us turn to what is good. Father, I don’t even want to hazard a guess as to how many of us prayed to You today. Most of us go about our business, failing to even acknowledge You, thinking instead that we are self-made people who got where we are by our own efforts. Forgive us Father, we really don’t know what we are doing.
Today Father God, I lift America up to You. I ask for great spiritual blessings. I ask You to grant us an awareness of who You are, and of how much You love us. Bring out the good in us Lord, as onlyYou can do. Teach us to love You and to love each other. Teach us to have wonder and respect for the mysteries of Your great creation. Teach us to have child-like awe before You, and not be such arrogant, unteachable people.
Bless all those in public office. Keep them honest and open. Show them if they will only ask, You will give them the wisdom they need to make good decisions and the courage to follow through. Bless all those in public service. Help them to be people of integrity who serve with excellence and keep them safe.
Bless husbands and wives. Give them deep love for one another and devotion to their marriages. Bless this nation with healthy children. Give all parents wisdom and love for their children. Help them understand their children’s needs and give them priority. Help parents turn to You, the perfect parent, for direction and strength.
Keep our nation safe. Save us from wars and attacks. Save us from succumbing to chaos and totalitarian government. Save us from disasters, epidemics, civil disorder, political instability and all other pandemonium which has brought down nations in the past. Save us from those who hate God. Save us from those who serve a false God–of any kind. Save us from ourselves. Most of all, let us never forget what You said: “Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord.” Psalm 33:12
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