Prayer for Our Birthday
On an earlier 4th of July, George Washington offered the following prayer: "Almighty God, we make our earnest prayer that you will keep the United States in your holy protection; that you will incline the hearts of the citizens to cultivate a spirit of subordination and obedience to government, and entertain a brotherly affection and love for one another and for their fellow-citizens. And finally, that you will most graciously be pleased to dispose us all to do justice, to love mercy, and to demean ourselves with that charity, humility, peaceful mindset which are the characteristics of the Divine Author of our blessed religion and without which we can never be a happy nation. Grant our supplication, we beseech you, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen."

Here’s my prayer for today: O Heavenly Father, what a wonderful legacy you gave this country in founding fathers who were men who proclaimed Christ as their Savior and were not ashamed to quote Your Word publicly.

Father we praise Your Name, a chorus of Your redeemed living in this wonderful country. We thank You that You have planted us in a very fruitful land and You have caused this land produce its bounty for us. No nation, with the exception of ancient Israel, has been more blessed than we. Yet, in many ways we have, as a nation, forgotten our first love. We have turned from serving and honoring You and have built idols of greed, self-gratification, personal peace, ambition, and sexual perversion. We have replaced justice with expediency, mercy with political correctness, compassion with a demeaning welfare system, and humility with the arrogance of success. We have scorned Your precious gift of life and have become a nation that murders our unborn, produces children that kill each other and themselves, and have stepped on that slippery slope where we decide which of our old and sick have lives worthy of living.

Gracious God, You would be fully justified if You withdrew Your blessings. Yet, You have not withdrawn Your hand and in that we find great hope. Therefore Father, we do pray for this nation. We pray for our President, our Vice President, and the governors of states. Be gracious to them in their persons and remind them that Your are the Ruler of the kings of the earth and that You hold their hearts in Your hand. Compel them, we pray, to live godly lives before the people and let them rule wisely and in accordance with Your will.

We pray for all of the legislators that they will use wisdom, reason, and compassion as they make laws.

We pray of all the judges that interpret the law, may they do so with fairness, honesty and impartially.

We pray for all those who work for the various agencies of government, that they will serve the people well and not let government become more of a burden.

We pray for all those who serve in the military, that they will be ever ready to defend this country but even more ready to preserve the peace.

We pray for the commerce of this nation, that You will continue to bless us with opportunities to work and support our families. Lord, give us hearts willing to share our abundance with those in need.

Gracious Father, we pray for the families of this nation. It was on the strength of families that this county was founded and now our families are under attack. We pray for husbands and wives that they will be committed to each other and to You. We pray that fathers and mothers will understand Your plan for families and be willing to reclaim childhood for their children. Bless our families with laws that are friendly to Your standard for the family and protect them from the Evil One who would undermine this very foundation of our land.

O Lord of the Harvest, we pray that you will fill our pulpits with men of godly character and calling; make them burning and shining lights, faithful to Christ and to the souls in their care. May they faithfully preach the power of the Gospel to broken and wounded people in desperate need of Your love and forgiveness. We pray for a work of the Spirit in bringing revival and reformation to our nation. Let our churches once more be full of Your people and may they once again raise the standard for Biblical character and integrity in this land. And Father, if we can be so bold, we pray that revival will begin with our hearts this day.

In the powerful name of Jesus, we pray. Amen.