Feb 4 2011
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Thoughts from Feb. 3’s National Prayer Breakfast
On the morning of Feb. 3, I had the privilege to be invited to join hundreds of government officials at the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington, D.C. It was the 59th annual such event, a prayer meeting that began with the Eisenhower administration and has been attended by every president since. This year was no different, with President Obama attending, as well as the first lady, vice president, members of the cabinet, countless congressmen and senators and several international dignitaries.
I’ve obviously heard about the prayer breakfast for years, but until this year had never had the opportunity to attend. I really didn’t know what to expect. I figured there would be many attending to “get credit” for supporting a faith-centered event, even if they had no actual beliefs of their own. And I’m sure there were indeed those who fit that bill. But far more than that, I was taken aback at how many sincere Christian leaders our country has at its highest levels. They came to this event to talk openly and unapologetically about their faith, and corporately pray together to seek God's will—even in a political climate where such things can be used as ammunition by their opponents.
(As proof, it was fairly difficult just getting into the Washington Hilton, where the prayer breakfast was being held. Throngs of anti-religion protesters outside necessitated police and secret service completely block off multiple city blocks surrounding the building. The anger and division outside was palpable. The spirit on the inside couldn't have been more different.)
U.S. Representatives Jeff Miller (R-FL) and Ann Kirkpatrick (D-AZ) co-chaired the bipartisan event, and talked about the importance of the weekly prayer meetings that both the Congress and Senate have when in session. While this day was a very public program, several leaders spoke openly of the importance of those private prayer meetings and how they are oases of unity, fellowship and seeking God’s will in the halls of power.
The program had many highlights. Scripture was read, prayers were prayed, and unexpectedly worshipful songs were sung by Alison Krauss (who, by the way, has won more Grammys than any other female artist—who knew?).
Chilean miner Jose Enriquez told of the horrifying ordeal he and 32 other miners endured, trapped a half mile underground for 69 days. He told how their faith in God helped them endure the darkest times, and when Bibles were sent down for the group, they organized Bible studies. Faith in God, he said, became the sustaining force that kept them alive. Repeatedly, he credited God answering their fervent prayers for their unbelievable rescue.
Filmmaker Randall Wallace brought the keynote address. As the writer/producer of Braveheart and many other landmark films, he is a master storyteller. But he is a writer at heart, not a professional orator like many in the room—which might have made him seem like an odd choice to speak at such a governmental function. But he was the perfect choice. Wallace was disarmingly humble. His self-effacing demeanor won over the room, and he talked openly of very specific moments where his life was forever changed by his faith and by prayer. He taught the room of the power of prayer not in theological terms, but with real examples of God moving in his life. Wallace is the real deal—and garnered an enthusiastic standing ovation from the room of leaders and dignitaries.
But as moving as the program was, no doubt what everyone wanted to hear was what President Obama would share. Would he play it safe to appease the very divergent religious views in his party? Would he clear up the skepticism about his personal beliefs? Or would he pay lip service to the event, treat it like any other political speech, just with a few Scriptures thrown in?
I’ve met with Mr. Obama a few times now, including once with a small group of Christian leaders where he talked openly about his faith and allowed for some very compelling, private dialogue to happen. Publicly, however, he’s seemed much more resistant to speak plainly of his personal beliefs and background.
At this prayer breakfast, that changed. President Obama spoke about the importance of “my Christian faith” and the role of prayer in his life. And as you’d want the president to do, he challenged our country (especially the leaders gathered in the room) to pray for peace, especially in light of current turmoil domestically and in the Middle East.
Rather than just tell you my impressions of President Obama’s remarks, however, I want you to see them for yourself. It’s long, yes, but when our president talks about Jesus Christ as his “personal Lord and savior,” and tells you about his specific prayers and struggles, no matter who you voted for it’s worth a read:
"... I want to begin by just saying a word to Mark Kelly, who’s here. We have been praying for Mark’s wife, Gabby Giffords, for many days now. But I want Gabby and Mark and their entire family to know that we are with them for the long haul, and God is with them for the long haul.
"And even as we pray for Gabby in the aftermath of a tragedy here at home, we're also mindful of the violence that we're now seeing in the Middle East, and we pray that the violence in Egypt will end and that the rights and aspirations of the Egyptian people will be realized and that a better day will dawn over Egypt and throughout the world.
"For almost 60 years, going back to President Eisenhower, this gathering has been attended by our president. It’s a tradition that I'm proud to uphold not only as a fellow believer but as an elected leader whose entry into public service was actually through the church. This may come as a surprise, for as some of you know, I did not come from a particularly religious family. My father, who I barely knew—I only met once for a month in my entire life—was said to be a non-believer throughout his life.
"My mother, whose parents were Baptist and Methodist, grew up with a certain skepticism about organized religion, and she usually only took me to church on Easter and Christmas—sometimes. And yet my mother was also one of the most spiritual people that I ever knew. She was somebody who was instinctively guided by the Golden Rule and who nagged me constantly about the homespun values of her Kansas upbringing, values like honesty and hard work and kindness and fair play.
"And it’s because of her that I came to understand the equal worth of all men and all women, and the imperatives of an ethical life and the necessity to act on your beliefs. And it’s because of her example and guidance that despite the absence of a formal religious upbringing, my earliest inspirations for a life of service ended up being the faith leaders of the civil rights movement.
"There was, of course, Martin Luther King and the Baptist leaders, the ways in which they helped those who had been subjugated to make a way out of no way, and transform a nation through the force of love. But there were also Catholic leaders like Father Theodore Heshburg, and Jewish leaders like Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel, Muslim leaders and Hindu leaders. Their call to fix what was broken in our world, a call rooted in faith, is what led me just a few years out of college to sign up as a community organizer for a group of churches on the Southside of Chicago. And it was through that experience working with pastors and laypeople trying to heal the wounds of hurting neighborhoods that I came to know Jesus Christ for myself and embrace Him as my lord and savior.
