God Bless America

A Prayer for Our Nation

The Lord your God will bless you just as He promised you. — Deuteronomy 15:6

Born in a poor Russian Jewish ghetto, Irving Berlin immigrated to America with his parents when he was five, settling in New York’s Lower East Side. He became one of the most prolific American songwriters in history.

In 1918 he originally wrote “God Bless America,” and he revised it in 1938 as war and the Nazis were threatening Europe. The lyric takes the form of a prayer for God’s blessing and peace for the nation.

Singer Kate Smith introduced the revised “God Bless America” during her radio broadcast on Armistice Day (now called Veteran’s Day) 1938, and the song was an immediate hit. Even now it is considered an unofficial national anthem of the United States.

While the storm clouds gather far across the sea,

Let us swear allegiance to a land that’s free,

Let us all be grateful for a land so fair,

As we raise our voices in a solemn prayer.

God bless America, land that I love.

Stand beside her and guide her

Through the night with the light from above.

From the mountains, to the prairies,

To the oceans white with foam,

God bless America, my home sweet home.

Patriot’s Prayer

I pray, Almighty God, that You will continue to bless America. May we, also Lord, be a blessing to You — and let that blessing begin with me.

Patriot’s Promise

Hear the promise of Psalm 29:11

The Lord will give strength to His people; the Lord will bless His people with peace.

Excerpted with permission from In God We Still Trust by Richard Lee, copyright Richard Lee.

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Your Turn

Happy Independence Day to all in our American community! Today, let’s pray for the nations we live in, for peace, for blessings, and that we would be a blessing to all around us as well! Come share your thoughts with us on our blog. We would love to hear from you! ~ Devotionals Daily