Prayer for America
Written by Dr. Lloyd Ogilvie, Chaplain, United States Senate to be read at all National Day of Prayer events

Gracious God, all that we have and are is a result of Your amazing generosity. Since September 11, in the battle against terrorism, we have discovered again that You truly are our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.

We rededicate ourselves to be one nation under You. In You we trust. We reaffirm our accountability to You, to the absolutes of Your Commandments, and to justice in our society.

Bless our President, Congress, and all our leaders with supernatural power. We commit ourselves to be faithful to You as Sovereign of our land and as our personal Lord and Savior.

Amen

The official prayer of the National Day of Prayer echoes the same jingoism and self-righteousness of our Islamic attackers.  The same sentiment united the bellicose Israelites of the Old Testament.  They all effectively say,  “God, endow us with your supreme power so that our holy nation can triumph over the infidels and bring you glory.”  Clearly, little has been learned in the last few millennia.  Anyone taking an honest and unbiased look at world history would see that religions are the most harmful weapons devised by man, with the worship of mass-murdering gods being the worst.  This lesson seems quite lost on those ardently praying for our nation on May 2nd.  If the devout among us care in earnest about improving this world, they can begin taking responsibility for their destructive beliefs.  The vacuous promise of an idyllic/orgasmic afterlife for some is not worth the price we are all paying.