Guiding God,
Among the Europeans who settled North America were several groups of deeply committed Christians who sought freedom from religious persecution. You gave them vision, resources, and courage to leave Old Europe and come to a new continent, filled with opportunities and dangers, in order to live out the call to Righteousness that you had placed on their lives. While we confess that these groups of settlers were by no means perfect in the way they interacted with often-helpful native peoples, we also know that you use imperfect people through all times and places to further the work of your Kingdom. Thank you for watching over these, our spiritual forefathers and foremothers, as they came and their civic descendants eventually created a place where peoples of many faiths could worship freely. You have used this nation as a launching point to spread the Gospel throughout the world. We pray that you will help us as a nation to remain in you, to bear fruit for you, and to be a light for truth, justice, and your Kingdom in this world. Thank you for the gift of this nation; help us to be good stewards of her past, present, and future. In Jesus’s name we pray, Amen.
“Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.” (John 15:4)
“Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn.” (Isaiah 60:3)
“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.” (Matthew 5:14-15)