National Day of Prayer

The first Monday in May has been set aside as a national day of prayer in this nation. In cities from coast to coast, people gathered to pray for our country today. These prayer gatherings took on different looks from one community to another. Some occurred in the morning, some at noon, and others will take place this evening. For the most part people gathered to pray for our country, local communities, and for God’s work to continue in this nation and around the world.

We met at the fire station earlier this morning here in Seminole. Different representatives from civic organizations and from the churches lead out in prayer. Some talked more than they prayed and others eliminated talking all together and spent their allotted time crying out to God on behalf of this county and our country.

I have to be honest. I have mixed feelings about the National Day of Prayer. Anyone who knows me knows I am passionate about prayer. I really am. I wonder from God’s perspective what He thinks when we gather on a day like this. Does the heart of the faithful remnant church bless Him across this country who give Him no rest and themselves no rest as they pound the doors of Heaven in fervent prayer day in and day out? Do personalities on programs who live hypocritical lifestyles but pray publicly offend God? Is God moved when prayers are offered with poetic eloquence meant to please the ears of men more than to gain the heart of God?

I’m not so quick to pat our nation on the back for recognizing the national day of prayer. We ought to always pray. [Luke 18:1] [I Thess 5:17] Where are the tears? We cannot push God out of every fabric of our society and then on one day tell Him we want Him to bless us. We cannot plead for His protection and then push for termination of pregnancies in the name of convenience, pragmatism, or the rational that is the woman’s right to choose. God is the author of life and He alone has the right to determine the end of life. We cannot plead for God to rescue our nation from morale decay but also give hearty approval to same sex marriage and cover up sex abuse scandals among clergy.

When people stand on the podium to lead us to pray who have engaged in public behavior that violates the very God we pray to, how can we expect God to listen. When prayer is used for a platform to please the ears of men, or to preach from our little soapboxes rather than to talk to God, how we expect God not to be offended?

I found myself moved on many occasions by public prayers today but I also was deeply offended as well. [I Jn 2:4] states, “The one who says, ‘I have come to know Him,’ and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.” There will always be people who love the limelight. There will always be hypocrites and liars. There will always be those who will use the platform of God to grab attention for themselves. These people live for days like this where they can be on stage and shine. I am more grateful for those who live behind the scenes and pray when nobody is watching or listening. I rejoice over those intercessors that stand in the gap for this nation and country whom are never seen in public but who bless God and see Him answer their petitions. I am inspired by the ones who intentionally walk away from the public platforms to enjoy private petitions with God. These men and women are the backbone of the church today.

How much more true prayer takes place on any given day in this nation in private rooms, offices, prayer rooms and prayer closets than was really seen or heard today. It would be easy to take this blog and make the case that I am against the national day of prayer. That would be far from the truth. What I cannot understand is why we can’t get people to pray in other prayer meetings. I have spent the past dozen years organizing prayer meetings. While ministering to college students we rarely saw over a half dozen come to pray but we could get two-dozen to go to IHOP after our college service. Most mornings there were only two of us. The same scene repeated itself when I was pastor of CentrePointe Community Church in Hudson, TX. We could not get more than three or four to show up at our prayer meetings. There were only three of us in Paradise when we met in the mornings and then we grew to four when we moved our prayer meetings to Monday nights. In Seminole I have rarely seen more than a handful at our Power Band Prayer meetings on Saturday nights and often seen less than this at the Community Prayer Room. Our prayer room at the church is seldom used and my bet is that most prayer closets are frequented seldom as well.

I am not anti-National Day of Prayer. I am pro-every day prayer. While the church has slumbered like the disciples at the Garden of Gethsemane the enemy has never ceased working. We must turn to God in prayer but we must do it in force more than one day a year.

What is the solution? I have heard such an uproar about the National Day of Prayer being challenged as unconstitutional but barely hear a peep about the lack of prayer in most of our churches. I do my best praying alone but I know of the need for us to get together to cry out for God’s help corporately and for healing in our country and communities. We must not give up. People are busy. I get it. When will corporate prayer in the church become a true priority? What are we willing to eliminate from our church schedules so prayer can become a priority?

Until I see the church willing to pray consistently throughout the year the National Day of Prayer will always feel awkward. I will do my part. I will support local prayer meetings as often as I can. I give FBC Seminole the opportunity to pray corporately. I will preach and write on prayer and plan prayer gatherings for the community. I cannot make people pray though. How can we have over 120 people today on the National Day of Prayer and have fewer than a dozen who come to Community Prayer Room in Seminole that meets EVERY THURSDAY? WHERE IS THE OUTRAGE OVER THIS?

For those millions who do pray and who do intercede the other 364 days a year I salute you. To those who show up for the show and production one day out of the year but who do not practice prayer the rest of the year, I can only pray God changes hearts. It would be an awesome thing to behold a National Day Prayer backed and supported by a nation praying the rest of the year as well. May we live to see that day realized.