Thought 44
When Minister Joe Wright was asked to open the
new session of the Kansas House of Representatives, everyone was expecting the usual generalities,
but this is what they heard:
Heavenly Father,
We come before You today to ask Your
Forgiveness and seek Your direction and guidance. We know Your Word says, ''Woe
to those who call evil good,'' but that's exactly what we have done. We have
lost our Spiritual equilibrium and inverted our values. We confess that; we have
ridiculed the absolute truth of Your Word and called it pluralism; We have
worshipped other gods and called it multiculturalism; We have endorsed
perversion and called it an alternative lifestyle; We have exploited the poor
and called it the lottery; We have neglected the needy and called it self
preservation; 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 political savvy; We have coveted
our neighbor's possessions and called it ambition; We have polluted the air with
profanity and pornography and called it freedom of expression; We have ridiculed
the time-honored values of our forefathers and called it enlightenment. Search
us, O God, and know our hearts today; try us and see if there be some wicked way
in us; cleanse us from every sin and set us free. Guide and bless these men and
women who have been sent here by the people of this state and who have been
ordained by You, to govern this great state of Kansas. Grant them your wisdom to
rule and may their decisions direct us to the center of Your Will.
I ask in in the name of your Son, The Living Savior,
Jesus Christ
The response was immediate. A number of
legislators walked out during the prayer in protest. In 6 short weeks,
Central Christian Church, where Rev. Wright is pastor, logged more than 5,000
phone calls with only 47 of those calls responding negatively. The church is now
receiving international requests for copies of this prayer from India, Africa,
and Korea.
Commentator Paul Harvey aired this prayer on "The Rest of
the Story" on the radio and received a larger response to this program than any
other he has ever aired.
With the Lord's help, may this prayer sweep over our nation
and wholeheartedly become our desire so that we again can be called one nation
under God.
If possible, please share this prayer with your
friends. "If you don't stand for something, you'll fall for everything."
Thought 44