I’ve been reading a lot of buzz this year about the “National Day of Prayer.” Evidently, there has been a widely spread rumor (debunked by snopes.com in all of its infinite wisdom) that President Obama cancelled the NDP. You can read an article here about the realities of the situation and what has been going on.
I’m just not sure where the merit is of a Christian taking part in something like the National Day of Prayer Task Force. I’m not sure what a Christian thinks is the merit of a national day of prayer anyway. My personal favorite quote out of this article is, “The National Day of Prayer provides an opportunity for all Americans to pray voluntarily according to their own faith – it does not violate the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment,” task force chairwoman Shirley Dobson said in a statement.
I think that says it all right there. Why exactly do Christians need governmentally mandated permission to pray for a day? (And if you are a Christian and think praying one day out of the year will lead to a remotely healthy spiritual life, we should talk.) It’s my understanding that as a Christian, I have the OPPORTUNITY to pray, any time of day or night, any day of the week or year, and Jesus will listen and mediate for me. Having a national day of prayer will in no way change my communication with our Father.
I know that someone is out there saying, “Yeah, but.” “Yeah, but we need to stand up for our religious freedoms.” “Yeah, but we need to stand up against the ‘liberal agenda’.” “Yeah, but…”
Why are we so afraid of persecution? Not to say that being thrown in jail or tortured or something along those lines isn’t a cumbersome thought in the minds of everyone. But the fact of the matter is the government is just that-government. We have a freedom in Christ that is above all man made laws and regulations. While having the “freedom of religion” the US constitution provides is nice and cushy and lets us worship in our comfy pews and warm church buildings every week, I just wonder if a little persecution might just do the Body good. And if you think I’m saying having the “National Day of Prayer” cancelled is persecution that is definitely not what I’m talking about. We need to get real about our faith. Our faith transcends all forms of persecution. So what if I’m put into prison for loving God? Or tortured? Or murdered? Is that going to change the reality of my eternity? No. Absolutely not.
If we put as much effort into bringing the reality of our Freedom to those that don’t have it instead of working through Washington lobbyists and special interest groups to ensure our governmental freedoms I dare say the church would be in a lot better shape. If we spent as much time actually praying as we do protesting our rights to a national day of prayer we might see more change. If we just realized the Freedom we have to pray in every circumstance of every day how might we change the Kingdom for the better?
I’m just not sure where the merit is of a Christian taking part in something like the National Day of Prayer Task Force. I’m not sure what a Christian thinks is the merit of a national day of prayer anyway. My personal favorite quote out of this article is, “The National Day of Prayer provides an opportunity for all Americans to pray voluntarily according to their own faith – it does not violate the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment,” task force chairwoman Shirley Dobson said in a statement.
I think that says it all right there. Why exactly do Christians need governmentally mandated permission to pray for a day? (And if you are a Christian and think praying one day out of the year will lead to a remotely healthy spiritual life, we should talk.) It’s my understanding that as a Christian, I have the OPPORTUNITY to pray, any time of day or night, any day of the week or year, and Jesus will listen and mediate for me. Having a national day of prayer will in no way change my communication with our Father.
I know that someone is out there saying, “Yeah, but.” “Yeah, but we need to stand up for our religious freedoms.” “Yeah, but we need to stand up against the ‘liberal agenda’.” “Yeah, but…”
Why are we so afraid of persecution? Not to say that being thrown in jail or tortured or something along those lines isn’t a cumbersome thought in the minds of everyone. But the fact of the matter is the government is just that-government. We have a freedom in Christ that is above all man made laws and regulations. While having the “freedom of religion” the US constitution provides is nice and cushy and lets us worship in our comfy pews and warm church buildings every week, I just wonder if a little persecution might just do the Body good. And if you think I’m saying having the “National Day of Prayer” cancelled is persecution that is definitely not what I’m talking about. We need to get real about our faith. Our faith transcends all forms of persecution. So what if I’m put into prison for loving God? Or tortured? Or murdered? Is that going to change the reality of my eternity? No. Absolutely not.
If we put as much effort into bringing the reality of our Freedom to those that don’t have it instead of working through Washington lobbyists and special interest groups to ensure our governmental freedoms I dare say the church would be in a lot better shape. If we spent as much time actually praying as we do protesting our rights to a national day of prayer we might see more change. If we just realized the Freedom we have to pray in every circumstance of every day how might we change the Kingdom for the better?
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