Tags
bullying, exclusive Christian claims, faith, love of neighbor, neglect, politics, prayer, religious traditions, stress
Prayers you won’t hear on the lips of people following Jesus
(If you do hear any of them, I guess you know what that means)
Lord, shield me from the needs of people I meet today so that I don’t feel responsible to do anything to meet their needs;
Lord, defeat the (insert other political party name here), so that your kingdom will come on earth as it is in heaven;
Lord, help me to keep the ordinary activities and choices of this day separate from the private spiritual journey I’m on;
Lord, help me to look beyond the pained expressions on the faces of bullied teenagers, stressed-out parents, and neglected elders, to see your glory;
Lord, keep others from interrupting my day with their personal worries or fears that have nothing to do with the good I hope to accomplish today;
Lord, prevent others from asking me about my faith in you (let my actions speak for themselves);
Lord, remove my guilt when I have more pressing things to do than stop and help a neighbor;
Lord, give me a pure heart, unstained by the sins of this world (by keeping me at a safe distance from those whose morality doesn’t look like mine);
Lord, help me to appreciate the exclusive claims of Christianity and its superiority over other religious traditions;
Lord, make me great in your coming kingdom;
Lord, I believe, and there is no unbelief in me;
Lord, I thank you that I am not full of myself like other people!
Words (c) Mark Lloyd Richardson