Election Prayer 2012 [#4]


Friday, 2 November 2012

Merciful God, your Scriptures warn us for our good with these words; “A tranquil heart gives life to the flesh, but envy makes the bones rot.” For generations we have voted for programs, laws and politicians out of a heart dripping with envy, jealousy and greed, and now it feels as if the bones of our country are rotting. Angry that others were prospering, we have pushed for heavier taxation, consoling ourselves with “they can afford it; they don’t have a right to so much money. How dare they!” Jealous that some have better privileges and advantages, we have yearned for them to be dragged down to our level. Greedy for our own personal peace and affluence, we have clamored for greater and heavier dependence on governmental safety nets and securities. We have increasingly been looking to our civil authorities (and others) as if they were gods, or demi-gods who should be able to fix every catastrophe, ailment and trauma; and if they don’t (because they can’t) we bewail the injustice of it all and blaspheme them for their inadequacies. O God, we are a nation of idolaters, and your own people in this land have “stubbornly followed their own hearts and have gone after the Baals, as their fathers taught them.” O God! Have mercy on us; forgive us; heal us; restore us, and we shall be saved! Fill us with tranquil hearts as we prepare to vote, that we will rest in you, casting off envy, jealousy and greed, and vote with an eye to glorifying you and enjoying you forever; through Jesus Christ your Son. Amen.

(Prayerfully reflecting on Proverbs 14.30 and Jeremiah 9.14)

 Mike

Comments

Brandon Dutcher said…
Right you are about the idolatry. With a 20% tax burden, the Egyptians were slaves to a king who was thought to be a deity. Yet today Americans pay more than that. See these very insightful comments from the late historian of liberty J. Rufus Fears: http://www.ocpathink.org/articles/1147
November 2, 2012 at 9:49 AM
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