NATIONAL DAY OF... ?

Yesterday was the National Day of Prayer. I'm not sure who says so or if it's really sponsored by our nation in any official form, but it seemed ironic yesterday to me on many levels:

• I have never heard of any faith group, other than Christians, who do anything on this day. Like do Jews or Buddhists or Muslims see this as a day to fast and pray for this land and our leaders and it's future more than any other day?

• A few days ago, I turned on my TV before bed and found myself watching like 20 minutes of the Bachelor before I scratched my head and clicked it off. It leaves you with a profound sense of "what the..... ?" " And are you.... ?" You can't quite complete the question because you know you're too confused and narrow down the question to just one. It's supposed to be a "reality show", but the premise and the ideas and the values and the pretty much everything about it... are absolutely unreal and say the opposite of a nation that would also sponsor a prayer day. I know who ever produces the show probably does not see themselves as a prayer day participant. Which is why a "national day of prayer" as a bit of a misnomer for me. Maybe we should call it the "christian pray for politics day".

• I think 9/11 was a better example of a national day of prayer than yesterday.

• 27 people showed up in our church to pray in our sanctuary. 13 of them were paid employees. Hmmm.
  

• I think the pagan king of Assyria did a better job of identifying what a "national day of prayer" looks like than we do:

Jonah 3:6-10 When the news reached the king of Nineveh, he rose from his throne, took off his royal robes, covered himself with sackcloth and sat down in the dust. Then he issued a proclamation in Nineveh:“By the decree of the king and his nobles: Do not let people or animals, herds or flocks, taste anything; do not let them eat or drink. But let people and animals be covered with sackcloth. Let everyone call urgently on God. Let them give up their evil ways and their violence. Who knows? God may yet relent and with compassion turn from his fierce anger so that we will not perish.” When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he relented and did not bring on them the destruction he had threatened.