3/21/99
This prayer was really spoken before the Kansas State legislators.
When Pastor Joe Wright was asked to open the new session of the Kansas
Senate, everyone was expecting the usual politically correct
generalities.
But, what they heard instead was a stirring prayer, passionately
calling our country to repentance and righteousness. The response was
immediate, and a number of legislators walked out during the prayer. In
six short weeks, the Central Christian Church had logged more than
5,000 phone calls, with only 47 of those calls responding negatively.
Commentator Paul Harvey aired the prayer on the radio and received a
larger response to this program than any other program he has ever
aired. The Central Christian Church is now receiving international
requests for copies of this prayer from India, Africa, and Korea.
Pastor Joe’s prayer is reprinted
here as an encouragement and challenge for each of us.
“Heavenly Father, we come before You today to ask Your forgiveness and
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 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 children 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 our 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 this great state. Grant them the wisdom to rule, and may their
decisions direct us to the center of Your will. I ask it in the name
of Your Son, the Living Savior, Jesus Christ, Amen.”