Call Upon the Lord

Heavenly Father, we come before You today to ask Your forgiveness and seek Your direction and guidance.

We know Your word says,"Woe to those who call evil good," but that's exactly what we've done.  We have lost our spiritual equilibrium and inverted our values.

We confess that we have ridiculed the absolute truth of Your word and called it moral pluralism.

We have worshiped other gods and called it multiculturalism.

We have endorsed perversion and called it an alternative lifestyle.

We have exploited the poor and called it the lottery.

We have neglected the needy and called it self-preservation.

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 political savvy.

We have coveted our neighbors' 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, O God, and know our hearts today; try us and see if there be some wicked way in us;  cleanse us from every sin, and set us free.  

(Text of the original prayer delivered January 23, 1996, by Pastor Joe Wright to the Kansas House of Representatives) 

O Lord, the great and awesome God, Who keeps His covenant of love with all who love Him and obey His commands, 

we have sinned and done wrong.  

We have been wicked and have rebelled; 

we have turned away from Your commands and laws.  

We have not listened to Your servants the prophets, who spoke in Your name to our kings, our princes and our fathers, and to all of the people of the land.  

(Text of Daniel, chapter 9:4-6)

We do not make requests of You because we are righteous, but because of Your great mercy.  O Lord, listen!  O Lord, forgive!  O Lord, hear and act!  For Your sake, O my God, do not delay, because Your city and Your people bear Your name.

Daniel 9:18b