Actually, when it comes down to restricting prayer, the church is doing a pretty good job all on its own. Often we don't pray, don't feel the need to pray, and the prayer we do engage in seems pretty anemic. In fact, this prayerlessness is one of the things for which we need to repent and bear the fruit of repentance in taking up the mantle of prayer given us by our Lord. In the service I prepared for my congregation for the National Day of Prayer, I include these confessions of our prayerlessness:
we your people, called by your name, do not humble ourselves and pray but instead go about our business in prideful self-sufficiency and willful neglect of your commandments and decrees, unconcerned for the name of Jesus Christ that we bear and inattentive to his design for us as his disciples;
we do not seek your face nor turn from our loveless indifference and worldly preoccupations, actually tolerating and even enjoying the corruptions of this world to the dishonor of you who has called us to be holy as you are holy;
we are not salt and light to our nation, nor do we desire to be, content to dabble in “Christian” practice and use you for our ends;
(I will post the whole prayer of confession after the May 6 service)
The buzz created by the judicial questioning of a national day of prayer and the ripples of rumor surrounding it should strengthen our resolve to pray, and not just on a designated day. But my guess is that it won't. Being up in arms will not translate to being on our knees. And that is to our shame.
2 comments:
Thanks for your comments about "So What ?". I have always been concerned that as Christians we are too preoccuppied with what the Governments and courts etc., are saying when we are not doing what we are commanded to do. The world is not able to stop what Jesus has started and what the Holy Spirit empowers. I read your Chop Manaul a number of years ago, but I think we may be moving into utilizing this approach in the congregation. Bernie McGale, Knox Presbyterian Church, Welland Ontario Canada.
I'd love to hear how God works if you do get CHOP started at KPC. My prayer is that God would mobilize His church to prayer that He might do great and mighty things in response, to the glory of His name.
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