This prayer was given in Kansas, USA, at the opening session of their Senate in 1996. It seems prayer still upsets some people. When Minister Joe Wright was asked to open the new session of the Kansas Senate, 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.’ And that’s exactly what we’ve done.
We’ve lost our spiritual equilibrium.
We’ve inverted our values.
We confess that we’ve ridiculed the absolute Truth of Your Word in the name of moral pluralism.
We’ve worshiped other gods and called it ‘multiculturalism.’
We’ve endorsed perversion and called it ‘alternative lifestyle.’
We’ve exploited the poor and called it a ‘lottery.’
We’ve neglected the needy and called it ‘self-preservation.’
We’ve rewarded laziness and called it ‘welfare.’
Father, in the name of ‘choice,’ we have killed our unborn, and then in the name of ‘right to life,’ we’ve killed abortionists.
We’ve neglected to discipline our children and called it ‘building esteem.’
We have abused power and called it ‘political savvy.’
We have coveted our neighbor’s possessions and called it ‘taxes.’
We have polluted the air with profanity and pornography and called it ‘freedom of expression.’
We’ve ridiculed the time-honored values of our forefathers and called it ‘enlightenment.’
Search us, O God, know our hearts today, try us and show us any wickedness in us. And then cleanse us from every sin and set us free.
Guide and bless these men and women who have been sent here by the people of Kansas and who have been ordained by You to govern this great state. Grant them Your wisdom to rule and may their decisions direct us to the center of Your will.
I ask it in the name of Your Son the Living Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.
https://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/paulharveypastorjoewrightinvocation.htm
