Celebration with Prayer

In a few days the nation of America will celebrate her 236th "birthday."  Birthdays are normally recognized with various type of celebrations.  We usually see cake, ice cream, and the sharing of gifts as we gather to celebrate the birthday of a family member or friend.  Our nation's birthday is usually celebrated with a day off from work, family picnics, and ends with a fireworks display at various venues.  But I have a thought this morning, what if every Christian throughout our nation took the time to offer prayer on July 4th for the challenges that we (America) are facing?  What if we became as enthused with prayer as we will be enthused with the previous forms of celebration that I wrote about?  I am not wanting to put a stop to the various forms of celebrations that will take place on that day rather I am simply encouraging each of us to take some time on the 4th and offer a prayer of intercession for America.  We certainly need to remember our veterans and I will write about that at a later date but we also need to remember our need for God to continue to bless and direct the USA.  I am not embarrassed to be a strong proponent of prayer.  We can not afford to let prayer become one the Christian principles that disappears from our lifestyle and we can not afford to let prayer loose its importance in our lives.  A line from an old song declares, "We have come this far by faith..."  I remind each of us that we have a responsoility to be an example to the generations that will come behind us.  Let us continue to lead the way through prayer and praise.