“Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord…” Psalm 33:12
Americans are blessed! In the history of the world, there has never been a more exceptional and blessed nation. What a privilege to live and be an American! This blog provides you some meditation and prayer starters to help you contemplate the joy of being an American on this Independence Day.
Meditation Starters from Psalm 33
- “Rejoice in the LORD, O you righteous! … The earth is full of the goodness of the LORD.” God is the foundation of America’s greatness. Outside of the grace and kindness of God, America would be like any other nation that has existed in history. We enjoy God’s grace to live in the best country of the world.
- “The counsel of the LORD stands forever, the plans of His heart to all generations.” Although there have been many times and places where nations have sought to harm and destroy America, God has provided us strength, prosperity, and peace. These are provided as gifts from God according to His plan by His grace.
- “The Lord looks from heaven; He sees all the sons of men. From the place of His dwelling He looks on all the inhabitants of the earth;” America is wise to remember that God is always aware of what we do, what we want, and how we treat others. God gives so much grace to us; He knows how we use that grace to love or serve others.
- “America’s strength and security does not depend just upon a great military and strong leadership; America’s strength is ultimately provided by God’s kindness and mercy.” We are grateful for a history of a great military and strong leadership; however, we are unwise to think they are the secret of our protection. God is the one who provides protection (vv. 16-19). He is to be praised for our freedom.
- “Our soul waits for the LORD; He is our help and our shield. For our heart shall rejoice in Him, because we have trusted in His holy name.” We must turn toward God as a nation. For followers of Christ, it is essential to see God as the ultimate protector and the One upon Whom we can trust.
- “Let Your mercy, O LORD, be upon us, just as we hope in You.” Take time to pray for America, God’s mercy on her, and the hearts of Americans to turn to God.
Prayer Starters for Independence Day
Prayers of Gratitude
- We are grateful to God for our freedom and His grace in supplying it, plus all the provisions provided through the freedom we enjoy! We are so grateful for the freedom provided by God to Americans, beginning with religious freedom.
- We are grateful to God for those who have provided the freedom. Our freedom as Americans came at a high price. We are grateful for all who have served to protect our freedom. For those of us born in relative peacetime, we can’t even grasp how significant this freedom is. Thank you men and women who have served us!
- We are grateful to God for the wealth of our nation. America is the wealthiest nation in the history of the world. The poorest American is richer than the majority of the world population today. We are so grateful for God’s kindness to provide for us as Americans.
- We are grateful to God for the government and the protections that are provided through her. To say the least, we recognize the imperfections of our government on every level; however, what a joy that God has given us this government in this nation. Comparatively in world history, America is unique and exceptional. This is nothing less than God’s grace and provision for us as Americans. Thank you God.
- We are grateful to God for the economic stability of the nation. Not all is perfect in the American economy; however, this is a great nation to work hard, build an income, use it to serve our families and others, and enjoy the grace God has provided. We rejoice in the economic stability that has been afforded us through God’s kindness as Americans.
- We are grateful to God for the beauty of the nation and the opportunities for pleasure. America is beautiful! We live in a gorgeous nation with so many different areas and kinds of beauty. From the seashores to the mountaintops, from the northern plains to the southern border, this place is stunning. Every morning we get up to a beautiful land! God is so gracious to provide us with such beauty to live in and around us.
Prayers of Request
- We pray for the military who serve for our protection that God would grant them protection, stable homes, and wisdom. Our military sacrifice to serve us daily. We pray that God would provide them with special blessings along the way.
- We pray for governmental leaders to serve for the good of the people who elected them. Power corrupts. Power deceives. We pray that our governmental leaders would serve not with self-interest but with other-interest. We desire for our leaders to put the needs of the nation and neighbors first – not politics or personal power.
- We pray for God’s mercy, grace, and wisdom in the current pressured situations of the nation. There is pressure everywhere. There are hot spots all over the world. America’s interests are threatened; our peace is threatened. The news out of Washington D.C. is dismal, disappointing, and, at times, devious. We pray for God’s mercy and grace on us. We ask God to provide wisdom, courage, and strength to those who can do something to extend God’s mercy on the nation.
- We pray for Christ-followers to live consistent with the Gospel of Christ they believe. We pray that Christians everywhere would live consistent with the One they say they follow. We desire Christlikeness to abound in the lives of the followers of Christ. We understand how our nation in general and neighborhoods specifically will be impacted if only those who say they love Christ Jesus would live like Jesus day by day.
- We pray for the salvation of our neighbors and community. We recognize that the only true hope that we have is in personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ. We desire to see those we live with and around hear the Gospel message and received forgiveness of sins in Christ alone. We ask that God would indeed save our nation.
Your Turn
What would you add as a prayer of gratitude or request? What particularly are you grateful for as an American?
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I am thankful that, this time in our nations history, there is a greater outerman distinction between Christians and this world. I’m thankful that the pressures by this world, which are negative, forces genuine believers to come desperately and steadfastly to the throne of Jesus. I echo your prayer for the church to live consistent with the gospel. I pray that God opens the eyes of many churches to see that the gospel and Christ are sufficient in every area of life and godliness. Mostly, I pray that God would start a greater change in me, that I would walk with him, glorify him and enjoy him above all things.