Prayers That Shaped America
Read a curated selection of prayers that honor the nation’s 250th anniversary
On July 4, 2026, Trinity Church celebrated America’s 250th anniversary with a special service of prayer, song, and reflection. A major feast day of The Episcopal Church, Independence Day invites gratitude for the blessings of freedom and a renewed commitment to righteousness and peace.
We gathered in historic St. Paul’s Chapel, where George Washington worshipped after taking his oath of office in 1789, to listen to prayers and music that reflect America’s unfolding story. From a convocation prayer delivered at the First Continental Congress to First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt’s prayer for a “world made new,” these readings form a window into the spiritual imagination and deep longing of Americans across centuries.
As we look to the future, these words call us to the shared work of shaping a more just and perfect union.
A curated selection of readings from the service appears below. View the full service here.
The Most Rev. Alexander Viets Griswold (1766–1843)
“A Prayer That May be Used on the Fourth Day of July”
The following was written by this fifth Presiding Bishop of The Episcopal Church.
O Holy, righteous and immortal God, King of kings and Lord of lords, through thy blessing, and because thy compassions fail not, we are brought again to behold this anniversary of our national Independence. May its return call to our remembrance thy mercies which have ever been of old; and may we be sensible that not for our own righteousness, or the uprightness of our own heart, hast thou brought us in to possess this good land; nor has the might of our own arm given us victory in battle. Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but unto thy name be the praise, for thy mercy and for thy truth’s sake. Grant unto us, we beseech thee, such sense of thy blessings to us, and to the people of our country, that our hearts may be unfeignedly thankful, and our lives be devoted to thee. Give wisdom and strength and union to the government and people of these United States, and this state especially in which we live. Bless all who are set in authority over us, and so enlighten their minds, direct their counsels and strengthen their hands, that righteousness and peace may dwell in our land. May they who are appointed to give laws and to execute them be endued with wisdom and equity and a just regard to the public good, that, through their impartial ministrations, peace and happiness, truth and justice, religion and piety may increase, and the safety and welfare of thy people be promoted.
Eleanor Roosevelt (1884–1962)
The following was prayed nightly by this advocate for human rights and First Lady of the United States.
Our Father, who has set a restlessness in our hearts and made us all seekers after that which we can never fully find, forbid us to be satisfied with what we make of life. Draw us from base content and set our eyes on far off goals. Keep us at tasks too hard for us that we may be driven to Thee for strength. Deliver us from fretfulness and self-pitying; make us sure of the good we cannot see and of the hidden good in the world. Open our eyes to simple beauty all around us and our hearts to the loveliness men hide from us because we do not try to understand them. Save us from ourselves and show us a vision of the world made new.
Howard Thurman (1899–1981)
“Prayer for a Friendly World” from The Centering Moment
Howard Thurman was an American minister and theologian known for his role in mid-twentieth century social justice movements, including as a mentor to many prominent leaders.
Our Father, fresh from the world, with the smell of life upon us, we make an act of prayer in the silence of this place. Our minds are troubled because the anxieties of our hearts are deep and searching. We are stifled by the odor of death which envelopes our earth, where in so many places brother fights against brother. The panic of fear, the torture of insecurity, the ache of hunger, all have fed and rekindled ancient hatreds and long-forgotten memories of old struggles, when the world was young and Thy children were but dimly aware of Thy Presence in the midst. For all this, we seek forgiveness. There is no one of us without guilt and, before Thee, we confess our sins: we are proud and arrogant; we are selfish and greedy; we have harbored in our hearts and minds much that makes for bitterness, hatred and revenge. While we wait in Thy Presence, search our spirits and grant to our minds the guidance and the wisdom that will teach us the way to take, without which there can be no peace and no confidence anywhere. Teach us how to put at the disposal of Thy Purposes of Peace the fruits of our industry, the products of our minds, the vast wealth of our land and the resources of our spirit. Grant unto us the courage to follow the illumination of this hour to the end that we shall not lead death to any man’s door; but rather may we strengthen the hands of all in high places, and in common tasks seek to build a friendly world, of friendly men & women, beneath a friendly sky. This is the simple desire of our hearts which we share with Thee in thanksgiving and confidence.
The Rev. Jacob Duché (1737–1798)
Convocation Prayer of the First Continental Congress, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
When the First Continental Congress convened to coordinate a colonial response to British encroachments, the delegates faced not only political uncertainty but profound ideological and regional diversity. Despite their differing denominational backgrounds, one of the first motions proposed — offered by John Adams and supported by Samuel Adams — was that the Congress begin its proceedings with prayer. (September 7, 1774)
O Lord our Heavenly Father, high and mighty King of kings, and Lord of lords, who dost from thy throne behold all the dwellers on earth and reignest with power supreme and uncontrolled over all the Kingdoms, Empires and Governments; look down in mercy, we beseech Thee, on these our American States, who have fled to Thee from the rod of the oppressor and thrown themselves on Thy gracious protection, desiring to be henceforth dependent only on Thee. To Thee have they appealed for the righteousness of their cause; to Thee do they now look up for that countenance and support, which Thou alone canst give. Take them, therefore, Heavenly Father, under Thy nurturing care; give them wisdom in Council and valor in the field; defeat the malicious designs of our cruel adversaries; convince them of the unrighteousness of their Cause and if they persist in their sanguinary purposes, of own unerring justice, sounding in their hearts, constrain them to drop the weapons of war from their unnerved hands in the day of battle! Be Thou present, O God of wisdom, and direct the councils of this honorable assembly; enable them to settle things on the best and surest foundation. That the scene of blood may be speedily closed; that order, harmony and peace may be effectually restored, and truth and justice, religion and piety, prevail and flourish amongst the people. Preserve the health of their bodies and vigor of their minds; shower down on them and the millions they here represent, such temporal blessings as Thou seest expedient for them in this world and crown them with everlasting glory in the world to come. All this we ask in the name and through the merits of Jesus Christ, Thy Son and our Savior.
“A Prayer For the Country”
The following appeared in the Forward Day by Day devotional of The Episcopal Church.
Grant us, O God, a vision of our land, fair as it might be; a land of justice, where none shall prey on others; a land of plenty, where vice and poverty shall cease to fester; a land of mutual love where all success shall be founded on service, and honor shall be given to righteousness alone; a land of peace where order shall not rest on force, but on the love of all for their land, the great mother of the common life and wellbeing. Hear, O Lord, the silent prayer of all our hearts as we pledge our time and strength and thought to speed the day of this nation’s coming beauty and righteousness.
“The Collect for Independence Day”
The following appears in the Book of Common Prayer (1979).
Lord God Almighty, in whose Name the founders of this country won liberty for themselves and for us, and lit the torch of freedom for nations then unborn: Grant that we and all the people of this land may have grace to maintain our liberties in righteousness and peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.