The Obama Prayer Team: blessing and balderdash

Some time ago I joined the "Obama Prayer Team" (OPT) group on Barack Obama's website. I would encourage you to do the same. I"ve posted a prayer or two I've submitted. Being a part of the OPT is an exercise in both occasional blessing and frequent balderdash. Sometimes you get the same kind of political clap trap that you hear every day on the cable opinion networks and sometimes you get honest, heartfelt petitions to our God. Sometimes you get heartfelt petitions to God - that are political clap trap. I sense Obama Prayer Team doesn't enjoy me so much, because I have a tendency to push back a bit when they start what I call partisan praying. I am told by the leaders of the group that "we are simply a group praying for the best interests of the country" and sometimes that comes across in very specific prayers. (You know like "...this economy that Bush left us..." and "...the evil congressmen that are stalling our health care...".) Usually these come from the stragglers, they join and then fall away fairly quickly. But there are a few (about 300 total members) that continually pray in the affirmative for our President and for the passage of health care and pretty much any initiative which he undertakes. (Which, in case you haven't noticed, is quite a lot.) I try to point out to them that just because we disagree, doesn't mean that we lack concern for social justice - whether it be in the form of health care, poverty or human rights. Of course when there is prayer that errs on the side of, say, slowing down health care in the face of government funded abortion or halting a nominee that is ungodly we get the following admonition..."This is a forum for PRAYERS not editorials. Please save those for other forums. We work hard to maintain our focus of prayer by lifting up our nation and leaders. Thanks for understanding. Blessing upon all this day!"I"ve started sending this note right back at them and they seem to be coming around. Here is a prayer from the other Day:

Lord we are all cracked pots in need of Your molding and shaping into useful vessels of service!
Lord we present all of our elected leaders to you for repairs. Seal every crack and clean out all of the corruption and debris from years of service . Conform the leaders and our nation into usable vessels according to your purpose. Lord replace the broken pots with ones formed by Your hand and selected by You. Work into each pot your integrity , purpose and plan. Take each pot through the fire so that we can withstand the heat of the battle and be strong enough to serve well. When we have been through the fire let all see Your craftsmanship and Your signature upon us."

Notice how the prayer doesn't claim which of our elected leaders are corrupt? How it petitions the Lord to replace "them" without presuming to know exactly which are needing replacement? Notice how it asks for God's integrity, purpose and plan without assuming to know God's judgement upon what form that will take? I like these prayers because intended or not, they allow God to be God and ask for our best as seen through His knowledge. They acknowledge that all men, democrats, republican or independent are in need of Knowing the God who Cares.

I'll keep praying for our President. Sometimes I may even engage in what could very well be my own prayerful balderdash. God only knows. My hope is that we (the OPT) can mitigate that by underlying every prayer with this caveat: "They kingdom come, they will be done, on earth as it is in heaven."