Praying “God, bless America!” It’s more than a song or a sentiment
Who’s happy with America these days? The nations of NATO? Our allies in North America? And if there’s wariness outside our borders, how about the upheaval within? The list of issues gets longer and the controversies more heated (and more complicated than those on either side of most debates are willing to admit). Many are beset by loss if not hardship, concern if not outright fear. Into this unrest, how do Americans feel about celebrating our nation on another Fourth of July? This post speaks to our national funk that has only worsened since the post appeared one year ago. Maybe all of us can find comfort in praying, “God bless America” with a greater sense of urgency than we have before.
Think about the last time you heard the song “God Bless America.” You might remember the original rendition, first performed by Kate Smith in 1938 and later presented in the 1943 film, “This Is the Army,” a wartime musical morale booster. Backed by a full choir and accompanied by trumpet fanfare, Smith’s rendition stirs the same patriotic fervor that accompanies a military band or a Fourth of July parade. Indeed, we may have sung it ourselves almost like a march, although its introductory verse describes itself as a “solemn prayer.”
I was going for solemn when I added it to a worship service at my church on the Sunday before the Fourth of July several years ago. I recruited a soloist with a rich baritone voice to sing it as an earnest prayer, not a patriotic anthem. I chose Scriptures for his wife to read between the phrases of the song’s verse.
God, bless America, land that I love
“Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord” (Psalm 33:12).
Stand beside her . . . guide her . . . with a light from above
“The Lord is my light and my salvation—whom shall I fear?” (Psalm 27:1).
You get the idea. (The song’s words are still protected by copyright, so I’ll not reprint them all here.) I coached the soloist to sing earnestly, much more slowly than we’re used to, to imbue each phrase with the passion of a person in prayer. When he and his wife had finished, the congregation sang the whole song straight through, a little more up-tempo, but still without flourishes.
Choosing our focus
It seems to me that Americans often sing the song with more attention to “America” than “God.” If you believe God somehow owes America his blessing, you can misinterpret the song’s lyrics to reinforce your national devotion. I wanted to avoid that. It’s certainly good to invoke God’s blessing on our country. You could make the case that we’re in deeper trouble now than even when we were fighting the forces of worldwide fascism in ‘43. So praying for America was appropriate on the Fourth of July a few years ago, and it’s still true in 2021. So we followed the song with a responsive prayer, adapted below from the reprint I posted then at christianstandard.com (and reposted here with permission).
Maybe my prayer will encourage you on this holiday weekend. Maybe a reader or two will even decide to use it in their own worship service tomorrow. (The downloadable pdf of this post is formatted to make this easier.) In any case, all of us can remember to seek God’s blessing on our country, rattled by crises and riddled with controversy. We need his help here now more than ever.
“God Bless America”
Leader: Dear God, as we think about the freedoms, privilege, and possibilities that are ours simply because we were born in America, we must bow to thank you.
Congregation: Thank you, God, for America.
Leader: We know this is not a Christian nation, but it is a nation where Christianity has been allowed to flourish. We worship without fear. We share our faith openly.
Congregation: Thank you, God, for America.
Leader: But these are troubled times. Many of our neighbors—maybe most of them—do not know you. And some of them ridicule and revile us for our Christian faith.
Congregation: God, help America.
Leader: Public discourse has become crass and confrontational. Public values lean toward the self-indulgent and self-promoting. The veneer of godliness or even goodness has disappeared from much of entertainment, business, government, and education.
Congregation: God, help America.
Leader: And so, as we prepare to celebrate another Independence Day in America, we come to you without swagger—we do not assume, God, that you owe our country something special, and we do not claim consideration that you would not give your people in any land.
But we are concerned about our country.
Congregation: God, bless America.
Leader: We pray that religious liberty will not be eroded here. We pray that somehow you will work through national leaders to accomplish your will.
Congregation: God, bless America.
Leader: And, God, we pray for our church. Help our congregation to be an agent of influence and change in our community. Show our church how to show your love to those who do not know you.
Congregation: God, help our congregation in America.
Leader: And we pray for ourselves, Lord. Help each of us to be salt; may our actions and attitudes help preserve the righteousness and holiness that brings you glory. Help each of us to reflect your light, showing through all our decisions and dealings your unique outlook that is the only hope for a world stumbling in darkness.
Congregation: God, help us as Christian Americans.
Leader: God, forgive us when we have been proud and claimed entitlement. Forgive us when we have soaked up the blessings of this land without contributing of ourselves to help keep the land whole. When we ask you to bless our country, we’re asking you to re-enter our lives, refine our motives, and re-energize our commitment to you.
Congregation: God, bless America.
Photos by Sophie and Michael Shannon on Unsplash
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To download a printable version of last year’s version of this post, click here.