Peter Marshall, one-time Chaplain for the U.S. Senate and a highly popular preacher and writer, wrote a poem-prayer for Independence Day, 1948, which is a classic, not only for public prayer but also for prayer on a national holiday. Here's the text, from the Dallas Morning News magazine, July 4, 1948:
O God our Father, we pray that the people of America, who have made such progress in material things, may now seek to grow in spiritual understandings.
For we have improved means, but not improved ends. We have better ways of getting there, but we have no better places to go. We can save more time, but are not making any better use of the time we save.
We need Thy help to do something about the world's true problems - the problem of lying, which is called propaganda; the problem of selfishness, which is called self-interest; the problem of greed, which is often called profit; the problem of license, disguising itself as liberty; the problem of lust, masquerading as love; the problem of materialism, the hook which which is baited with security.
Hear our prayers, O Lord, for the spiritual understanding which is better than political wisdom, that we may see our problems for what they are. This we ask in Jesus' name. Amen
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