Sabbath Devotional: God Bless America — My Prayer

As I contemplated how to write a devotional that encompasses both the celebration of independence and the context of our current events, I recognized my own inadequacy. I am not up to this task. I knew that I could only write something with faith in Christ and reliance on guidance from the Holy Ghost. And it occurred to me that, more than ever, our current events require faith in Christ and reliance on guidance from the Holy Ghost.

We often hear the phrase “God bless America.” Today, I want to offer a prayer for America, asking for God’s blessings in a time of need. I am using the lyrics to “America the Beautiful” by Katherine Lee Bates as a starting point. I am not sure if I will accurately reflect what she intended when she wrote these words, but I will express what they mean to me today.

“Oh, beautiful for spacious skies,

For amber waves of grain,

For purple mountain majesties

Above the fruited plain!”

This opening stanza feels me with gratitude and humility. We have been blessed with a land of beauty, a land of plenty. We have natural resources and fertile ground. We have enough and to spare. Gratitude is a form of worship, and it is also a source of healing. I express gratitude to God for the natural wonders of the land we call America.

“America! America!

God shed his grace on thee,

And crown thy good with brotherhood

From sea to shining sea.”

With humble gratitude, I plead for the grace of God upon our country. That unmerited mercy that is available to persons and people — individuals and nations — when they turn to the Lord Jesus Christ. We need His amazing grace.

I also ask for His blessing to crown or glorify the good within the land. I see so many working with all their hearts and strength to be good and do good. With God’s help, those efforts can be magnified and sanctified. The blessing sought is to “crown thy good with brotherhood.” Brotherhood, sisterhood, or loving one another is both a commandment and a blessing.

“Oh, beautiful for pilgrim feet,

Whose stern, impassioned stress

A thoroughfare of freedom beat

Across the wilderness!”

I am grateful for the history of our country. So much of it is messy and complicated; however, we can find in every era pilgrims — those journeying in search of liberty. Lehi prophesied, “Yea, the Lord hath covenanted this land unto me, and to my children forever, and also all those who should be led out of other countries by the hand of the Lord. Wherefore, I, Lehi, prophesy according to the workings of the Spirit which is in me, that there shall none come into this land save they shall be brought by the hand of the Lord” (2 Nephi 1:5-6). The Lord continues to lead people — whether we call them pilgrims, pioneers, or immigrants — to a choice land of promise. I am grateful for the people He has led here and for the lives of liberty they have created.

“America! America!

God mend thine ev’ry flaw,

Confirm thy soul in self-control,

Thy liberty in law.”

With deep humility, I ask for God’s help to mend our every flaw. I recognize those flaws. We need His help, His mercy, and His power to mend the flaws. Self-control is vital for my own soul and the soul of the nation. I recommit to personal integrity and to having charity for all. For this, I need the help of my Savior. I also ask that our liberty be confirmed in law. This requires the advocacy and hard work of protecting democracy.

“Oh, beautiful for heroes proved

In liberating strife,

Who more than self their country loved,

And mercy more than life!”

I am grateful for the many American heroes who have loved this country. Those who have served honorably in our armed forces, as well as those who have worked to create something better at home. I am grateful for the defenders, protectors, and builders, who love country more than self.

“America! America!

May God thy gold refine,

Till all success be nobleness,

And ev’ry gain divine.”

Even in times when we have struggled financially, I know that we live in comfort. The Lord has blessed this land with temporal prosperity. God can refine gold when I choose to use it in generosity and gratitude. Success and prosperity is measured in nobleness, not money, and I ask for God’s blessing to make our temporal prosperity holy and divine. Because I have been given much, I too must give. Generosity is what makes our gains divine.

“Oh, beautiful for patriot dream

That sees beyond the years

Thine alabaster cities gleam,

Undimmed by human tears!”

The dream of patriots is to build a better future, a country that will gleam long into the future. I also pray for cities that are undimmed by human tears, places where life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness are available to all.

“America! America!

God shed his grace on thee,

And crown thy good with brotherhood

From sea to shining sea.”

 We owe so much of what we are and what we enjoy to the blessings of kind and loving Heavenly Parents. In gratitude and humility, I recognize those blessings and pray for guidance in creating a better future.

. . . . . . . .

Image: Amber Waves of Grain | Los Paseos from Earth, CC BY-SA 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

---

Megan Rawlins Woods is the nonpartisan root senior director at Mormon Women for Ethical Government.