I was handed an email by a colleague with a prayer given by the Rev. Joe Wright to a Kansas legislative session. My first reaction was that must be an urban legend but having looked it up, it is apparently true.
Heavenly Father,
We come before you today to ask your forgiveness and to seek your direction and guidance.
We know Your Word says, ‘Woe to those who call evil good’
But that is exactly what we have done.
We have lost our spiritual equilibrium and reversed our values.
We have exploited the poor and called it the lottery.
We have rewarded laziness and called it welfare.
We have killed our unborn and called it choice.
We have shot abortionists and called it justifiable.
We have neglected to discipline our children and called it building self esteem.
We have abused power and called it politics.
We have coveted our neighbour’s Possessions and called it ambition.
We have polluted the air with profanity and Pornography and called it freedom of speech and expression.
We have ridiculed the time Honoured values of our Forefathers and called it enlightenment.
Search us, Oh, God, And know our hearts today;
Cleanse us from every sin And set us free…Amen!’
How many times have we heard asinine intercessions that have no impact upon our past, present or future? I think if you are going to use this as a worship idea however, it needs to be well thought out. It is an abuse of prayer to use it as a personal vehicle in which you preach at those who you are intercessing on behalf of. However, it can be a really powerful vehicle to raise the major issues of the times we are living and our own part within them to God.
