As the morning paper, CNN.com, and your social networking sites can attest, something big is happening in Washington. As a Christian it seems fitting to pray. I'm sure pastors around the country are calling their congregations to prayer this morning. We are a people who believe in a God who hears our prayers, and right now our country could clearly use some divine intervention.
But the reflection that this morning's news has necessitated in me has forced me, once again, to admit the sad truth that I am woefully ignorant of [a great many things, including] the vast majority of the problems our government is dealing with, and the ways in which the government functions [or, is supposed to function] in order to deal with these problems.
I don't know how to pray about this shutdown because I just don't know what's going on.
I've never been interested in politics or government. We didn't have political debates around the dinner table growing up. Living at Duke alongside some very opinionated and intelligent students encouraged me to be a little more socially aware; marrying into a family which is also very opinionated and willing to have conversations about all those opinions has taught me that healthy discourse is possible. But I will not delude myself into thinking that I am as informed as I should be about what is happening in our country today. The only way I know how to"help" is to join my prayers with the Body of Christ across the country, but I am finding that I'm not sure how to even do that.
How do we pray when it is hard to get a clear understanding of what's going on? Who's to blame- the Democrats? Republicans? The President? Which media outlet or political analyst is telling us the truth? Is there such a thing as "truth" in this situation? Is there a way for this to be resolved, or will any solution just be a band-aid, holding us over until the next crisis? Is our current system sustainable? What about healthcare, which side is right about that?
These questions overwhelm me. But this morning, I'm thinking about this desire to know the "truth" before I pray, and wondering what that's all about. It seems that I am afraid that being uninformed will lead to petitioning God incorrectly, or something to that effect. That, unless I've formed an intelligent opinion, my prayers are worthless. But I'm pretty positive that is not how it works. And, if I am a person who believes in a God who hears my prayers, and that our country needs some divine intervention, praying is exactly what I should be doing right now. Praying not only for resolution in the government, but also that God's people would rise to the occasion in this time of crisis, to be informed and help serve those suffering the consequences of this shutdown, and of the brokenness of our system in general.
:: I may not know who is to blame for this shutdown, or really if blame can be appropriated to one person or set of people, but I know that, to find resolution, there needs to be a softening of hearts and minds and a willingness to listen and compromise. And so I pray for the members of the House and the Senate, that they may be convicted to listen to one another in an attempt to find resolution that will benefit the people of this country, even if they disagree with parts of it.
:: I may not know all the ins and outs led to this shutdown, but I know that there are some 800,000+ people today who suddenly don't have a paycheck, and that's a terrible feeling. And so I pray that the Church would rally around those individuals and families, to provide for them when and where there is need. Also, that we would remember the millions of other people who have been without jobs prior to today, and that we would not abandon them and forget their needs in the midst of a culture with a terribly short attention span.
:: I will never know the immense difficulty and responsibility that lays on the President's shoulders, but I know that, whether you agree or vehemently disagree with anything/everything he has done, he was elected into this position and now must bear the weight of that responsibility. And so I pray for an abundant portion of God's wisdom to be upon him. That he would mediate, listen, direct, and compromise. That he would seek always to do good and serve in his position to the best of his ability.
:: I definitely do not know the "truth" about healthcare reform, if either side is right, or what the ramifications of the legislation will be, but I do know people who are sick and cannot get health insurance, who are caught in a spiral of medical debt for which there is no foreseeable end. And so, as I long for a day when there is no more sickness or brokenness of body or mind, I pray for a system that will better serve the masses of people who are currently unable to get the health coverage that I have been so fortunate to have throughout my life. And I pray that the Body of Christ would rise up to serve and speak for those persons, that we would not be content to sit by idly when so many people who are made in the image of God are suffering and do not have the power or resources to find help and be made whole again.
:: I may never be able to figure out what's really happening in Washington, whose opinion can be trusted, what the long-term consequences of whatever law or policy being debated will be, but I know that God knows. And so I pray that even, and especially, in the midst of situations that I do not understand and cannot control, I would still pray and trust that God listens.
Hear us, O God.
Your mercy is great.
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