We have a good friend, that friend experiences tragedy, we pray to God to help the friend, and way too often, we then go out our business having turned it all over to God.
I don’t mean to sound harsh, and there are times that we are helpless to do anything but pray, but if all our prayers do is replace action on our part, they become nothing more than a shift in responsibility. In fact they can become harmful, because they prevent us from doing something about the problems we are praying about.
Consider the prayer we say every Sunday — “we pray for all who govern and hold authority… that there be justice and peace on the earth.” But if the result of our prayer is that we do nothing about injustice or working for peace, then our prayer is counter productive.
Our prayers should challenge how we act out in the world. When we pray for our leaders, it doesn’t mean we should ignore poverty, injustice, or oppression, just the opposite.
Our prayers should foster a responsibility not just awareness, and our actions should reflect our prayers. Our prayers need to be more than shifting responsibility, our prayers should transform ourselves into a reflection of God Almighty.
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