New Testament Prayer and Politics

We're doing this all wrong

Last week, I was reading in Epihany, one of my favorite blogs. Epiphany is written by a contemplative Christian woman in Ohio, and it the antithesis of politics.

In her September 14th entry, she writes: "Nothing brings out the average
person's Inner Brat more~ except maybe driving in traffic. The nicest
person becomes belligerent, tunnel-visioned, arrogant and unable to
respect the intelligence of any who don't agree with them, as soon as
they're talking politics. It sickens me. God tried to tell us back in
the day that having a human king wasn't going to work out~ and it
hasn't.
I really wish we still had God as our Leader."

I'm not the sort to jump up in the middle of a sermon and shout "AMEN!", but I have to tell you, that's how I felt. And I particularly feel that way about what we have done to prayer in politics.

In the New Testament, there is a pattern to prayer that emerges again and again. It's hard to ignore (unless of course, we choose to.). In that pattern we see God exalted, a confession of our failings, and an appeal for his protection, love and care. There's a strong element of listening for his will in New Testament prayer.

But that is not what you get in prayers at political gatherings. Not at all. We're too busy telling, twisting faith and God's will to our will and hopes, not bending ourselves to his.

This is not a partisan thing. Heck, I wish it was. Then I could be happy readling this site's secret blogger gleefully whack away at the speakers in the Values Voter Summit, or laugh at George Bushes hacks at liberals. Instead, both groups make me angry, and very, very sad.

OK, let's admit it – a certain group of those who pray or invoke prayer at political events are using prayer as propoganda, simply taking a snippit of holy language, and telling pepple that God wants things our way. It happens on both sides of the political fence. I hate it, it's wrong and it makes me angry.

What makes me sad is that so many of us fall for it. When I go to churches – mainline, evangelical or fundimental – I almost always hear prayer as prayer is meant – to lift God up, to plea for his intercession, and ultimately to seek his will. Most of us KNOW this is what prayer is about. Yet we just blithly let the politicians and the official prayer people, use prayer to tell us what God wants, instead of asking for his leading.

See? I bet as you read this, you're already seeing what we are doing wrong, Democrat and Republican alike.

I'd be far more confident in a leader who publically prayed and asked for guidance, who admitted that God was sovereign, than one who already knows all he wants. My experience in life and business both has shown me that earnest seekers, while they may not always come up with a solution I love, rarely lead me too far astray, whereas self righteous ones often do.

It's a spiritual maturity issue. Paul writes of being "babes in Christ", and one of the signiture traits of a child is a sense that the world revolves around them. It's not until we get older that we understand it doesn't.

Spiritually, the religiously political are still children, I am afraid, thinking faith revolves around them, that even God can be turned to their way of thinking. They use Godtalk and prayer to justify what they feel, instead of diigging deep into scripture, or praying and listening constantly for God's leading.

Well the Politicians can do that, and always will. But I would like to have faith in earnest Christians to resist the temptation to fall for cheap prayer, and instead, do what our leaders can't seem to do – be earnest in prayer, and remember what its' for. It's not another drum t beat. It's a way to open our hearts to him. Are you up to it? Do you have the courage?