I read an email story about an American pastor, Minister Joe Wright, describing how he said his prayers for the opening session of the Kansas House of Representatives. The following were Rev. Wright's words:
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 have exploited the poor and called it the lottery.
We have rewarded laziness and called it welfare.
We have killed our unborn and called it choice.
We have shot 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. Amen!"
After delivering the prayer, one Democrat walked out in protest, three others gave speeches critical of Wright's statements. In an interview Rev. Wright said, "I certainly did not mean to be offensive to individuals, but I don't apologize for the truth."
Wright’s prayer touched the issue of sin, which people are not always comfortable with. There has been a tense debate about whether an action could be considered as always right or always wrong. Many people are irritated when they are described as “sinful”. The truth remains. The Bible declares that all people are sinful and fell short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23).
The crucial part is how people respond to this truth. Many shrug the thing off their shoulders while others cannot live with the notion that they are “dirty” and unworthy of God’s love. Consider the vast difference between a cat and a pig. Take both and throw them into a muddy pool. The pig rolls over and enjoys the dirt while the cat immediately removes the dirt from itself.
There has been a solution to the sin problem. Forgiveness is always available for those who seek it. I John 1:9 states that “If we confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive us [our] sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
