I was talking to God

I recently received a copy of the prayer Reverend Joe Wright, senior pastor of the Central Christian Church in Wichita, Kansas, delivered to the Kansas House of Representatives back in January 1996. Since the original oration, the prayer has been attributed to both Billy Graham and Paul Harvey.[1] This morning, it was presented to me as a poignant reminder of where we are as a nation – an interesting coincidence since I have been reading Ezekiel this week. Reverend Wright’s prayer is said to have been controversial at the time, a reflection of the “extreme, radical views that continue to dominate the House Republican agenda” and a “message of intolerance.”[2]

Here is Rev. Wright’s prayer.

"Heavenly Father, we come before you today to ask your forgiveness and to seek your direction and guidance. We know Your Word says: "Woe to those who call evil good," but that is exactly what we have done.

We have lost our spiritual equilibrium and reversed our values.

We have ridiculed the absolute truth of Your Word and called it Pluralism.

We have worshiped other gods and called it multiculturalism.

We have endorsed perversion and called it alternative lifestyle.

We have exploited the poor and called it the lottery.

We have rewarded laziness and called it welfare.

We have killed our unborn 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 politics.

We have embezzled public funds and called it essential expenses.

We have institutionalized bribery and called it sweets of office.

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, Oh GOD, and know our hearts today; cleanse us from every sin and set us free. Amen!"

In other news, New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees recently recorded a video citing his favorite Bible verse (2 Corinthians 5:7) and encouraging Christian children to carry their Bibles to school on October 3 in observance of “Bring Your Bible to School Day.” The video and event are supported by Focus on the Family. However, according to nola.com, the electronic newspaper of The Times Picayune and The New Orleans Advocate, Brees was unaware that Dr. James Dobson’s Focus on the Family held such staunch anti-LGBTQ beliefs and, in Brees’ words, “Christian organizations out there that are involved in that kind of thing and to me that is totally against what being a Christian is all about. Being a Christian is love, it’s forgiveness, it’s respecting all, it’s accepting all.”[3]

Christian, therein lies today’s conundrum. While I agree in part with Drew Brees’ statement, that Christians are about forgiveness, respect, and acceptance, I cannot agree that the Bible is silent on LGBTQ, nor do I believe truth, as voiced by Rev. Wright, is intolerant or extreme. But it is unfortunate that so many Christians refuse to stand up for their beliefs. Don’t get me wrong. I don’t blame Drew Brees for backing down under public pressure. I can’t see Brees’ heart nor do I know anything about him, or his walk, aside from what I read in nola.com or see on television.

Situations like this remind me just how important it is to read God’s word every day and keep it close to our hearts. Satan won’t often slap you in the face and call you a bigot. No, he’ll sneak up behind you and whisper in your ear, “Your fans won’t like what you said,” and leave the rest to our imagination. In fact, Genesis 3 shows exactly how simple yet effective Satan’s tactic is.

“The woman said to the serpent, ‘We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’’

‘You will not certainly die,’ the serpent said to the woman. (emphasis added) ‘For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.’ When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it.” (Gen 3:2-6, NIV)

Christian, Satan uses words like “intolerance” and “extreme” because he knows our human hearts yearn for acceptance. He takes the truth – you will surely die – and interjects one word that gives us pause – not.

So the next time Satan climbs up on your shoulder and starts whispering in your ear what you know in your heart is wrong, take a page from the Reverend Joe Wright’s playbook and remind him, I wasn’t talking to you. “I was talking to God.”[4]

(Photo: whisper.com)

[1] https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/prayer-for-our-nation/

[2] Ibid.

[3] https://www.nola.com/sports/saints/article_1e707270-d023-11e9-bd58-6b3f5e86ed4a.html

[4] Ibid.