“Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any people.” Proverbs 14:34

Dear Lord Jesus, I give you grateful thanks on this anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence for the priceless blessings of liberty that with your help were won for me by my forefathers. Stir up within me a new appreciation of the life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness I enjoy in this land of the free, and a greater readiness to serve my nation with my talents. Teach me, above all, to treasure that precious freedom of conscience and worship, without which other liberties would not long survive. May I never contribute to the loss of these dearly won blessings by my own selfishness, ambition, or indifference. Grant enduring peace to our country and its institutions, so that the Gospel may be able to turn the hearts of all from the bondage of sin to the freedom won by the blood of our precious Redeemer. Amen.