National Day of Prayer.

Does any one really believe prayer changes things? That He will really intervene in our nation’s affairs? That taking one day and using it for pray will really be useful?

It isn’t a new thing, this National Day of Prayer. I’m not just referring to it’s fifty seven year history. I recall and old, old story of the Jewish nation being on the verge on eradication, whose last resort was a day of prayer with an added two extra. Last resort? It should have been their first resort, if you’re aware of the victorious out come. People targeted for destruction by Haman, the forefather of Al Qaeda ,were given inner strength, resilience and hope. They didn’t let what appeared on the surface to be the end of their world, be the end of their world. They fought back! I wonder how many participants objected to picking up arms to save their families and way of life? Unfortunately the book of Ester doesn’t reveal those details. Just the fact that victory was quick and sweet. Retaliation, (self defense) only lasted a day or two then partying broke out, with celebration and worship. And giving of thanks to the source of their triumph. They got mad, they got prayerful, they got ready, they got even, they got over it. They never forgot it.

Do those truths apply today? They should. He is after all the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. Like taxes and death, He’s a certain constant factor in the events of history; a much more pleasant constant factor. A ready resource that shouldn’t just be used one day a year. I hope that the Day of National Prayer this May leaves such a good feeling people will carry it on to the other three hundred and sixty four days. After all, batteries need to be recharged to be efficient, recharging our souls regularly, daily, hourly, minutely, and secondly is vital to our success as a nation. We are to pray without ceasing. I’ve heard the adage that practice makes perfect, well it should be modified to “perfect practice makes perfect“. If we keep practicing our mistakes we just make perfect mistakes. If we perfect our prayers we make perfect decisions based on the Source that responds to our requests.

One of the admonitions of Purim (the holy day our Jewish brothers use to commemorate Ester’s heroism in saving her people) is to not read the story of Ester backwards. Meaning, don’t just read it as ancient history, irrelevant for contemporary applications. Well, if you are to any degree a philosopher, you should know that history has a tendency to repeat itself. In Ester’s day there were religious zealots bent on the destruction of other religions, thankfully we know that doesn’t happen today. We all live in peace and acceptance of each other’s views. Not. Just as a day, or two, or three, of prayer and fasting saved God’s faithful millennia ago, don’t you think he can do it now. Look at the World Trade Centers and see if Haman’s evil descendants have experienced success in destroying his foe. Not on your life. It encouraged a nation to band together and fight. To pray. To produce heroes, as on Flight 93, and all the participants of ground zero.

A Day of National Pray is a start. Don’t let it be a one time thing, or merely an annual thing. Make it habitual. We have been warned that He won’t listen to us if we just come to him only in times of trouble. He’ll inform us He has no idea who we are. Times of trouble are when we first meet lawyers and doctors. It shouldn’t be the first time we meet Him.

Ester 4:13-17
Ester 9:1-17
Ester 9:17-19
Isaiah 1:12-15