George Washington's Prayer for the Nation at the Close of the Revolutionary War

This prayer from George Washington's 1783 Circular to the States written at the close of the Revolutionary War, still hold's true today.

In his prayer, Washington refers to Jesus as the "Divine Author of our blessed Religion," urging imitation of Christian virtues (justice, mercy, charity, humility) as indispensable for national happiness. This reflects his view that the republic's success depended not only on political structures but on moral virtue sustained by divine favor.

The document is steeped in Washington's characteristic acknowledgment of God's providential role in the American cause. He expressed profound gratitude for divine intervention.

He described the Revolution's outcome as providential: 

"When we consider the magnitude of the prize we contended for, the doubtfull nature of the Contest, and the favorable manner in which it has terminated, we shall find the greatest possible reason for gratitude and rejoycing... we shall have equal occasion to felicitate ourselves, on the lot which Providence has assigned us."

He portrayed America as:

"peculiarly designated by Providence for the display of human greatness and felicity."

For the full text: https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Washington/99-01-02-11404