A Texas Prayer Meeting

Recollections of a prayer meeting at a Texas church from one who was there:

There are maybe 20 people there and most of them are pastors. Bro. ____ prays God’s blessing on our country, thanking him that America is free and always will be. In my mind I am asking the Lord “How can he think that we live in a free country when pretty much everything here is illegal?”

Bro. ____ prays God’s blessing on “Our” military, those selfless heroes who volunteered to bring peace and safety to people they don’t even know or never would. I am thinking “First off, “we, the church” don’t have an army. At least not that kind. Caesar has an army and they are all over the planet invading countries that never posed any threat to us so while I recognize your providence over the nation I don’t feel right asking you to bless them anymore than I would have felt right asking you to protect Nineveh’s murderous Assyrian army.”

Bro. ____ prays for our heroic men in blue, the police. I feel sick to my stomach. How do I pray for them other than God would send them a spirit of repentance for being the dangerous, murderous gang of thugs that I suppose we Americans deserve?

I wish I had gotten up and prayed thusly “Lord, thank you that your kingdom is forever even though all the nations of the world, including America will disappear. Lord please forgive us for pride and arrogance in thinking we can force our government on the rest of the world. Please forgive us for having the highest incarceration rate in the world. Please hear the cries of the oppressed, from the prisoner who has been raped in our government’s tender custody to the victims of murderous drone strikes somewhere in Asia or the middle east who died because the CIA said they should. Lord I’m not sure how to ask your mercy on such a wicked country as America but I do ask it anyway. Please send us a revival. Bring us to see ourselves as you see us and reveal to us who seem so blinded to them our nation’s many sins. In Jesus’ name, amen.”

I wish I had prayed that publicly but I didn’t. I didn’t think of all that at the time plus I know what anger and fury that would have provoked.

How many stupid prayers like this will the Lord hear today? See my “A War Prayer for the Twenty-First Century.”

The Best of Laurence M. Vance