This 4th of July I am remembering how the late Evangelist Billy Graham loved this country. I am mindful of these words about how he felt about America. These words come from the Billy Graham archives.

For nearly six decades, Billy Graham has encouraged Americans to be thankful for their country and to protect her moral standing.

Mr. Graham has spoken of freedom and due honor to crowds across the nation. Through his great knowledge and wisdom, he also presented prayer requests and actions for the trials and downfalls America has endured.

His view of the nation is one of hope and positivity. On July 4, 1997 at the Lincoln Memorial, Mr. Graham gave his message, “The Unfinished Dream.” He offered seven reasons America was worthy of honor, and all seven reasons ring true today:

– We honor America because she has opened her heart and her doors to the distressed and the persecuted of the world.

– We honor America because she’s been the most generous nation in history.

– We honor America because she is honestly recognizing and is courageously trying to solve her social problems.

– We honor America because she has never sought to use her tremendous power to take over other nations.

– We honor America because she defends the rights of her citizens to dissent.

– We honor America because there is woven in the warp and the woof of our nation faith in God.

One way to honor our country is to pray for her needs and her leadership. Mr. Graham recognized that America held too much discouragement, despair and negativism. “We have listened and watched while a relatively small extremist element, both to the left and the right in our society, have knocked our courts, desecrated our flag, disrupted our educational system, laughed at our religious heritage, and threatened to burn down our cities-and are now threatening to assassinate our leaders,” he said. America needs prayer of hope and restoration as much as she needs prayer of thanksgiving.

“Today, I call upon all Americans to raise your voices in prayer and dedication to God and to recommit to the ideals and dreams for which our country was founded. Let’s dedicate ourselves today to a renewal of faith in God. Let’s dedicate ourselves to building rather than burning,” Mr. Graham said.

His words still apply to our nation today. Be proud of the blessings America grants its citizens and pray that those blessings stand strong.

Mr. Graham shared his vision: “Wouldn’t it be a wonderful thing, a glorious thing” he said, “if millions of people throughout America began to chant, ‘We want God! We want God! We want God! And we are going to let God rule and reign in our hearts as individuals, and guide and direct our nation in the future!”