Bank Failures and Prayer

Financial experts and news analysts have cast the current economic crisis in the direst of terms: "The worst crises since the Great Depression." "The most difficult challenge since Pearl Harbor." "Another 9/11 but this time financial." "Our worst national challenge since the Civil War." "It makes the savings and loan bailout seem like child’s play." And on and on.

Excuse me, but in most of those other instances the nation fell to its knees imploring Almighty God to intervene and spare the country. In the days of our nation’s birth, national times of prayer were urged by George Washington and others. The news of the Boston bombardment caused freedom leaders to kneel and pray in Carpenter’s Hall in Philadelphia in 1774. When the Constitutional Convention reached an impasse in 1787, Ben Franklin urged prayers each morning in the chamber. Lincoln’s heart cry was for prayer and revival as found in his 1863 Proclamation for a Day of Fasting and Prayer, "…I set apart Sept. 30, 1863 as a day of national humiliation, fasting and prayer."

As our men went to D-Day on June 6, 1944, President Roosevelt led the nation in prayer saying,
"…Almighty God: Our sons, pride of our nation, this day have set upon a mighty endeavor, a struggle to preserve our Republic, our religion, and our civilization, and to set free a suffering humanity. Lead them straight and true; give strength to their arms, stoutness to their hearts, steadfastness in their faith. They will need Thy blessings. Their road will be long and hard. For the enemy is strong. He may hurl back our forces. Success may not come with rushing speed, but we shall return again and again; and we know that by Thy grace, and by the righteousness of our cause, our sons will triumph…"

After 9/11, ardent non-partisan prayer was made even in the Capitol Rotunda, and the churches were full of humble supplicants.

Now we have what some are calling our greatest national challenge to the entire financial system of the nation and the world, and its debated solution has degenerated into a political squabble among flawed legislators without any call for prayer that I can detect. The chaos is the result of godless greed and indifference, and their solutions bode no good without God’s help. These men and women have allowed this dreadful mess to evolve under their watch, and a heavy dose of repentance and prayer would be in order but no call for prayer is heard.

II Chronicles 7:14 has been quoted by rote too long as a doff of the intellectual hat to tepid civil religion. It is time to quote it slowly, meaningfully and personally.

"If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land."

Without agonizing prayer, our national motto "In God We Trust," which is printed on inflating coin and currency, is hollow ritual. If the harried politicians won’t urge prayer, then let godly pastors and believers throughout the land call for it. If we don’t have it, our present quick fix is just a band-aid pasted on the wretched cancer of a dying nation. If no one else will pray, will you?

Dave Virkler