As we celebrate the anniversary of the founding of the United States this week, it is my privilege to offer prayers that are timeless yet needed today more than ever. These can apply to any country. I hope you will be blessed by these prayers from The 1928 edition of The Book of Common Prayer.
A Prayer for Congress.
MOST gracious God, we humbly beseech thee, as for the people of these United States in general, so especially for their Senate and Representatives in Congress assembled; that thou wouldest be pleased to direct and prosper all their consultations, to the advancement of thy glory, the good of thy Church, the safety, honour, and welfare of thy people; that all things may be so ordered and settled by their endeavours, upon the best and surest foundations, that peace and happiness, truth and justice, religion and piety, may be established among us for all generations. These and all other necessaries, for them, for us, and thy whole Church, we humbly beg in the Name and mediation of Jesus Christ, our most blessed Lord and Saviour. Amen.
For a State Legislature.
O GOD, the fountain of wisdom, whose statutes are good and gracious and whose law is truth; We beseech thee so to guide and bless the Legislature of this State, that it may ordain for our governance only such things as please thee, to the glory of thy Name and the welfare of the people; through Jesus Christ, thy Son, our Lord. Amen.
For Courts of Justice.
ALMIGHTY God, who sittest in the throne judging right; we humbly beseech thee to bless the courts of justice and the magistrates in all this land; and give unto them the spirit of wisdom and understanding, that they may discern the truth and impartially administer the law in the fear of thee alone; through him who shall come to be our judge, thy Son, our Saviour, Jesus Christ. Amen.
For Our Country.
ALMIGHTY God, who hast given us this good land for our heritage; We humbly beseech thee that we may always prove ourselves a people mindful of thy favour and glad to do thy will. Bless our land with honourable industry, sound learning, and pure manners. Save us from violence, discord, and confusion; from pride and arrogance, and from every evil way. Defend our liberties, and fashion into one united people the multitudes brought hither out of many kindreds and tongues. Endue with the spirit of wisdom those to whom in thy Name we entrust the authority of government, that there may be justice and peace at home, and that, through obedience to thy law, we may show forth thy praise among the nations of the earth. In the time of prosperity, fill our hearts with thankfulness, and in the day of trouble, suffer not our trust in thee to fail; all which we ask through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Amen, and AMEN!
Amen! And may He apply this promise to Israel to America too:
Jeremiah 32:38-41
And they shall be my people, and I will be their God: And I will give them one heart, and one way, that they may fear me for ever, for the good of them, and of their children after them: And I will make an everlasting covenant with them, that I will not turn away from them, to do them good; but I will put my fear in their hearts, that they shall not depart from me. Yea, I will rejoice over them to do them good, and I will plant them in this land assuredly with my whole heart and with my whole soul.
Greatly needed – thanks for sharing. I’ll join you in those prayers . . . and add a hearty”Amen!”.
Amen. Thank you for sharing!
Beautiful prayer, Tamela; one to print out and place under glass.
And way better than mine…
“Please, God, don’t let us **** up!”
Thank you, Tamela, for these prayers. I have The Book of Common Prayer from the Church of Ireland and, of course, would not find these prayers in my book.
Those are some very nice and very needed prayers, Tamela. Too bad they’re not used anymore.
Richard, some Episcopalian churches and Anglican churches still use this version. Many use the 1979 version. There is discussion about updating the book again, though the update probably wouldn’t be available until around 2030.
Wow! Do we ever need this prayer today! Thank you for sharing it.
I may share it myself. I assume it’s not still copyrighted.
These are prayers that she should pray every day–not just on the 4th of July.
Steven, I hope you will join me in prayer every day.
Beautiful prayers! May God bless these prayers and grant wisdom, discernment, and peace to those leading our country.
So happy, Tamela, that you are supportive of prayers for our country. We need that!
Yes, agreed. We should indeed pray for our nation every day.
Thanks for sharing those marvelous prayers, Tamela.