Saying it Slightly Differently

"The Prayer at Valley Forge"
by Arnold Friberg

Presidential contender Rep. Michele Bachmann (R - MN) recently visited Iowa and spoke on a Sunday morning at the independent megachurch, Point of Grace Church in the Des Moines suburb of Waukee.  According to the Des Moines Register news posting reporting the event, Bachmann did not deliver a typical stump speech but, rather, shared a message of hope appropriate to Sunday morning worship.  At one point, commenting on a painting hanging in the church of George Washington at prayer during the hard winter at Valley Forge, she stated:

“We too are at a crucial time today. And I think it is for us to remember, that if we do as Chronicles tells us, if we humble ourselves, and pray and confess our sins, and turn away from our wicked ways, and ask an almighty God to come and protect us and fight the battle for us, we know from his word, his promise is sure. He will come. He will heal our land. And we will have a new day.”

Bachmann's statement rings with some of the greatest themes of the Christian faith: humility, reliance on prayer, repentance, faith, divine healing, and salvation.  Those of us coming from a very different theological perspective still say, "amen," to the whole of the paragraph—and, yet,  maybe we wouldn't put it quite the way she does.  Instead, we might say:

"We too are at a crucial time today when we do well to remember the things Chronicles tells us.  These are times that require us to humbly see good in those with whom we disagree.  They are times for prayer, confession, and seeking to walk the path Christ walked.  In these times, we will do well to pray that God's presence gives us wisdom us, reconciliation with our enemies, and teaches us peace.  In Christ, we trust that God's Spirit is working for healing in our nation calling us to a new day."

As disciples of the Prince of Peace, we would like to see a little less emphasis on battle and perhaps just a slightly less triumphalist tone—maybe less reliance on the God who is on-my-side and a little more faith in God who calls us to work for the good of others.

One wonders, could we sit down with Rep. Bachmann and come up with a common paragraph?  It would be an interesting, possibly fruitful exercise.  In any event, we trust that she would be able to say, "amen" to this paragraph as we do to hers, even if she put it slightly differently.