In the ever-recycling world of the internet, a prayer has been circulating reportedly given by Billy Graham, then aired on Paul Harvey. The prayer is partially true, but it did not originate with Billy Graham, nor was it first aired by Paul Harvey.
It was prayed in 1996 by Rev. Joe Wright of Central Christian Church, Wichita, Kansas, at the opening of the Kansas State House of Representatives. He got a lot of flack for it and some legislators walked out while he prayed it, but its message is true, no matter what your political leanings may be. He doesn't leave much out.
Pastor Wright called it his "Prayer of Repentance." You probably have heard some of it before, but I offer it to you in its complete form with rightful authorship. I hope you will read (and perhaps pray) all of it, before you form your opinion of it. You might need to change just a word or two so it applies to our nation rather than just Kansas.
"Heavenly Father, we come before You today to ask your forgiveness and seek Your direction and guidance. We know Your Word says, "Woe to those who call evil good," (Isaiah 5:20) but that's exactly what we've 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 moral 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 and called it choice. We have shot abortionists and called it justifiable. We have neglected to discipline our children and called it building esteem.
"We have abused power and called it political savvy. We have coveted our neighbors' 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, O God, and know our hearts today. Try us and see if there be some wicked way in us. Cleanse us from every sin and set us free. Guide and bless these men and women who have been sent here by the people of Kansas, and who have been ordained by You, to govern this great state. Grant them Your wisdom to rule and may their decisions direct us to the center of Your will. I ask this in the name of Your son, the living Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen"
With our newfound freedom of self-expression on the Internet, we need to keep truth before us at all times.
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