I wasn't aware that the National Day of Prayer had an official Bible verse. The one for this year comes from Chronicles 7:14: "If my people, who are called by my name, humble themselves and pray, and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven. I will forgive their sin and will heal their land."
This all-purpose verse is accompanied by an official theme: "America, unite in prayer."
As if we could unite on anything these days. That includes prayer and religion, which have become more divisive than uniting.
We'll give it a shot anyway. On Thursday, Wyoming will mark the NDOP with "a time for prayer" on the steps of the State Capitol in Cheyenne. St. Mark's Episcopal Church, corner of Central Ave. and 19th St., will hold an "ecumenical service of evening prayer" at 5:15 p.m.
In recent years, these noon time public prayer services have had a distinctive fundamentalist tinge. They also have been opportunities to "pray for our troops" and "pray for our president." No mention of praying for peace or for the dead children of Iraq.
That's the problem. These public professions of faith have been turned into partisan political opportunities. If I followed the Christian tenet of praying for my enemies, I would pray for the president. He needs all the prayers we can muster. But I would be praying for his immortal soul, not success in Iraq (whatever that is). I do not wish Bush success in anything. All he's been successful at doing is waging and illegal and immoral war, torturing other humans, curtailing our constitutional rights, making the rich richer and the poor poorer, etc. I would pray for him a change of heart. Since he is the most stubborn man on the planet, the prayers would be wasted.
Perhaps I should pray for my own change of heart. Pray that I love my enemies, not hate them. Now that's a worthy goal.
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