Steve’s Blog

The national day of prayer happens every year, this year it is May 7, and invites people of all faiths to pray for our nation. Their website says that the day “exists to communicate with every individual the need for personal repentance and prayer, to create appropriate materials, and to mobilize the Christian community to intercede for America’s leaders and its families.” I remember a couple of years ago when Bono from U2 was invited to be the guest speaker and he took everyone to task for not practicing what they preach. I absolutely believe in the power of prayer and think that we need to be more conscious of who and what we are praying for.

Last night my wife and I were watching the Colbert Report and there was this bit about the Master Media International prayer calendar. Apparently they have a day by day list of celebrities and media moguls that we need to be praying for and yesterdays celebrity was Stephen Colbert. The following clip is his response to his national day of prayer:

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In the midst of making fun of the situation, Colbert points out one of the biggest pit-falls of prayer: selfish demands. Yes we are supposed to ask God for help and provision in our lives but at what point does it become silly? Prayer is a two way street in which we must be open and listening for what God wants from us. What is the point of asking a question if you are not ready to receive an answer or guidance? We should not just pray for what we want but that we may be involved in what God wants.