Independence Day Prayers

It’s Independence Day, a day commemorated with barbecues, fireworks, and togetherness. As with many holidays, most of us move through the day with the understanding that we are celebrating freedom and independence, but many of us – including the young people in our lives – may not be aware of just what this day means, and where these traditions came from. So today, take the opportunity to explore why this day is so special.

If you’d like to facilitate a discussion of the meaning of the July 4th holiday, but have lost track of some of the details yourself, check out these July 4th facts. Even though the site is called “facts for kids,” the information is accessible to all ages, and is a great refresher on the origins of the day.

Another way to connect to the festivities on a deeper level is to incorporate an element of our “five-finger prayer” into your family’s day. If you recall the long-ago Family Time (our very first one, in fact!) where we introduced this prayer framework, it involves associating each finger with a person or group of people whom we’d like to pray for, and the longest finger is dedicated to those who lead us.

Today, focus on what your family would like to pray for our leaders – perhaps you pray that they will act with wisdom, and compassion, and justice; perhaps there’s another type of guidance you hope they will receive; perhaps you’d like to thank God for the leadership of a specific individual. You don’t have to limit yourselves to the president, either – you can include the governor, or the mayor, or any elected official, really. Your family can discuss your prayers with each other (if you have kids at home, let them lead the discussion!), and we’d like to offer you a creative way to send them up to God:

First, print this flag template and color it in – while you’re coloring, you can talk about the design and the colors and what they mean. Flags of Valor has a great breakdown of the flag's design on their website. Then write your prayers in the white stripes, and let those be your family’s prayers today – and maybe even into the future, too, because our leaders will always need all the help they can get!

Once your flag is complete, as you enjoy the barbecues, the fireworks, and the togetherness, you can also take joy in the satisfaction of really understanding what you’re celebrating.

What are your prayers for our leaders? Feel free to share them on our Facebook page.