"The Prayer"

The same old cliches and politically-correct jargon were expected when minister Joe Wright was asked to offer the invocation at a new session of the Kansas Senate.

He stood and offered his humble prayer, but before it was even finished, the hounds of hell were beginning to howl:  Some legislators walked out during the prayer, in protest.  Others stood and voiced wild objection with red-faced and saliva-ridden words.

However, in the ensuing six weeks, the minister's church logged more than 5,000 phone calls with only 47 being negative.  The church is now receiving international requests for copies of the prayer from India, Africa, and Korea.

Commentator Paul Harvey aired the prayer on "The Rest of the Story" and received a larger response to this program than any other he has ever aired!

So, for what horrible things was this minister guilty of praying?  See for yourself:

"Heavenly Father, we come before you today to ask Your forgiveness and to seek Your direction and guidance.  We know Your Word says, "Woe on those who call evil good," but that's exactly what we have done.  We have lost our spiritual equilibrium and reversed 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 multi-culturalism.

  • 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 children and called it a 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; cleanse us from every sin and set us free.

Guide and bless these men and women who have been sent to direct us to the Center of Your Will.

I ask it in the name of Your Son, the living Savior, Jesus Christ.

Amen.