My Prayer for National Day of Prayer

The National Day of Prayer was yesterday, despite the ruling I mentioned a few posts ago.  I prayed with my small group and throughout the day, more than on a usual day.  I can't say I was really all that motivated to pray, to be honest, but it was a good reminder that the country needs prayer, and that God is in control.  I prayed (and pray) to the Heavenly Father in the name of Jesus, and ask(ed) that our leaders would make good decisions, that they would be obedient to Him, and that the Christian groups in the country would grow.  I believe in the separation of church and state, and believe that the freedom to worship has allowed Christianity to flourish in the United States, while it has not been as successful over time in Europe because of the historicity of the church -- the fact that it is an institution made up of human beings who make mistakes and become corrupt seems an insurmountable obstacle to many Europeans to believing in Jesus.  Europeans live surrounded by cathedrals that have become memorials more than living, breathing churches, and many feel no need to darken a church door. The Christian church in the U.S., by contrast, is vibrant and still reaches many people, even if some denominations are shrinking in number.  I think the prayer day, overall, was a success, despite the obstacles it faced and the controversy of Pres. Obama's decision to issue a proclamation instead of having a White House ceremony, which I blogged about a little here.  I hope next year's event will be even more successful.