Obama and The National Day of Prayer?! (Gasp!)

This week there was lots of buzz on the Internet about Barack Obama canceling The National Day of Prayer and saying that it was unconstitutional. Turns out, like just about everything else on the Internet involving Barack Obama, it wasn’t true.

Christians and right wing conservatives across the web were up in arms! Turns out, before everyone started screaming that the sky was falling, they should have checked their facts- not everything on the Internet is true afterall.

Now you may think I’m being partial to the Obama administration and harsh on conservatives, but that’s not my objective.

My concern is that it seems there’s a large segment of Christianity who think that government can actually solve the world’s problems. And if there’s a particular party in office that sees things a little differently than them, they fear that party or political figure can further the world’s problems. Both can certainly happen to an extent, but they need to realize that it is God who is sovereign and controls the affairs of men, even what empires and rulers are in power.

Jesus was very clear that His Kingdom was not of this world. The Jewish people thought that their coming Messiah was going to overthrow the Roman Empire and establish an earthly kingdom for them to reign and rule in with Him. What they got instead was a humble, traveling, Galilean carpenter who healed the leprous, spoke to outcasts, and told them to love their neighbors. His inogeration as King took place not with horses, soldiers, palaces, and throwns, but rather being lifted up and nailed to a Roman cross- not exactly what the Jews expected or hoped for. The Kingdom Jesus established wasn’t an earthly kingdom at all- at least not yet- but a spiritual one.

So even if an earthly kingdom canceled a National Day of prayer- one that acknowledges, recognizes, appeases, and prays to other gods- why should we be so up in arms? Would we not still pray? Afterall, the Persian Empire outlawed prayer altogether, but that didn’t stop Daniel. He didn’t start a Facebook petition and call all of his Jewish exile friends to complain! He just prayed- regardless of the consequences. And when he prayed, God was glorified mightily through His saving work on Daniel’s behalf.

Our nation, its leaders, and its systems will take much more notice of Jesus and His Church, not when they protest and worry about an earthly kingdom not being godly enough, but when they themselves act Godly and love their neighbors despite their political and irreligious actions.

The Roman Empire didn’t convert to Christianity overnight because a few Christians whined and complained. Rather it converted gradually to Christianity because Christians were willing to gather in worship, live counter-cultural lives for the well being of others, and share the love of Jesus with their neighbors no matter what their government said and no matter what the consequence. It was those difficult times that caused them to be the greatest witness.

Difficult times are coming to our little corner of the world. What will you do?Whine and complain yet do nothing, or will you live the life of a Jesus Follower amidst the difficult times so that people can see the Glory of God within you and worship Him because of it?

One Responseto “Obama and The National Day of Prayer?! (Gasp!)”

1. Greg says:

   April 17, 2010 at 10:15 am

   Well said! It’s refreshing to hear someone else who feels the same as I do.