A Provocative Prayer You might enjoy this interesting prayer given by Minister Joe Wright when he was asked to open the new session of the Kansas state senate a few years ago. Everyone was expecting the usual generalities, but this is what they heard: "Heavenly Father, we come before you today to ask Your forgiveness and to seek Your direction and guidance. We know Your Word says, "Woe to those who call evil good" but that is exactly what we have done. We have lost our spiritual equilibrium and reversed our values. We confess that: We have ridiculed the absolute truth of Your Word and called it pluralism; We have worshipped other gods and called it multiculturalism; We have endorsed perversion and called it alternative lifestyle; We have exploited the poor and called it the lottery; We have rewarded laziness and called it welfare; We have killed our unborn children and called it choice; We have murdered abortionists and called it justifiable; We have neglected to discipline our children and called it building self-esteem; We have abused power and called it politics; We have coveted our neighbor's possessions and called it ambition; We have polluted the air with profanity and pornography and called it freedom of expression; We have ridiculed the time-honored values of our forefathers and called it enlightenment. Search us, Oh, God, and know our hearts today; cleanse us from every sin and set us free. Guide and bless these men and women who have been sent to direct." The response was immediate. A number of legislators walked out during the prayer in protest. In six short weeks Central Christian Church, where Rev. Wright is pastor, logged more than 5,000 phone calls with only 47 of those callers commenting negatively. The church has received international requests for copies of this prayer from India, Africa, and Korea. Commentator Paul Harvey broadcast this prayer on his radio program "The Rest of the Story" and received the largest listener response in his career. Home / Of General Interest