In September I was given the privilege of offering the opening prayer for the U.S. House of Representatives. One of the Congressmen from Idaho and a friend of mine, Walt Minnick, submitted my name for consideration. Amazingly I was asked to do the prayer. A few weeks after being officially invited I received a packet in the mail which outlined expectations, procedures and instructions for my participation. It stated that the prayer should be non-political and sensitive to all faiths. It also couldn't be any more than 150 words and had to be submitted in written form in advance.
Believing myself to be a Spirit-filled, Spirit-led evangelical pastor made the idea of writing a prayer out in advance feel stifling and foreign. It was like asking a quickdraw gunfighter to deliberately aim instead of instinctively pointing and shooting. I have always felt that prayer should be spontaneous rather than premeditated and planned. At the same time I did realize how tempting it could be for welling meaning pastors to use the opportunity to preach/pray their own ideology rather than relying on the heart of God. It forced me to think, to pray and to ask God what he would have me say.
Days passed until it was only hours before the deadline to submit my prayer. My mind was still a complete blank. I honestly didn’t feel I had the wisdom to know where to begin. That final afternoon in a state of desperation, I closed my office door and sincerely asked God for his help. In my heart there are a few things I truly believe our nation is desperately in need of. Unfortunately I didn’t know how to frame them so the prayer was not biased by personal opinion or sound too preachy. I do feel America needs to come to a place of greater authentic unity. I also believe we are being weakened by divisive ideologies based on introspective human reasoning. What once was considered authentic conviction has somehow turned to mean-spirited stubbornness. Somehow in the midst of it all we are slowly losing the ability to see the forest for the trees of the greater good. In a desire to be heard, many of us are shouting louder with greater anger and intensity – therefore rendering ourselves unable to hear those voices sincerely motivated by broken tenderness and deep compassion. I know the enemy’s most successful tactic has always been to divide and conquer. Sadly, we have become weakened and vulnerable due to the absence of a common heart and mind concerning issues that are affecting all of humanity; crucial things like climate change, extreme indebtedness and the many escalating issues of human injustice. For too long we have been short-sighted, not looking toward the welfare of future generations but to our own short-term interests. We have held onto our feelings of entitlement and the belief that affluence, comfort and security are God-given rights of all American citizens.
These are not Republican or Democrat issues, but rather issues of long-term sustainability and even human survival. They are issues bigger than our nation, not only affecting us in America but our entire planet. I believe that America is in trouble and the only hope is for all of us (including our leadership) to experience an authentic change of heart and perspective. We need hearts that were willing to sacrifice personal agenda and self-serving interests; hearts that are truly concerned for the interest and welfare of those we have been called to serve. We need the attitude of Christ.
I knew I didn’t have the words to communicate the desperation I was feeling at that moment. As I sat in the solitude of my office I asked God for guidance. It was then that I felt directed to read the words of the Apostle Paul as they had been recorded in the second chapter of his amazing letter to the Philippians. In anticipation and expectancy I opened the Bible sitting on my desk and was shocked as I began to read Paul’s exhortation. As I looked at his words they began to form a prayer; a perfect prayer of unity and selflessness. It was a prayer that if heard and responded to could actually make a lasting difference. It could change everything even to the point of turning the desperate circumstances of our time to a new season of blessing.
I prayed:
Father in heaven - as the Apostle Paul once prayed over the people of Philippi, today we echo not only his words but the heart from which they were spoken:
We pray that if we have any encouragement from belonging to God; any comfort from His love; any fellowship together in his Spirit – Then let our hearts be tender and compassionate agreeing wholeheartedly with each other, loving one another, and working together with one mind and purpose.
We pray as Paul prayed for pure motives of selflessness; not trying to impress others, being humble, thinking of others as more important than ourselves. We pray that we wouldn’t look out only for our own interests, but represent the interest in those we are called to serve.
We pray that we might have the same attitude that Christ had as he willingly and purposefully became a servant - literally laying down his life for the benefit of all mankind.
In Jesus name - Amen
To view this prayer as it was prayed over the House of Representatives on September 16, 2009 click on the link: www.youtube.com/watch
