President Bush says:
“Throughout our history in times of testing, Americans have come together in prayer to heal and ask for strength for the tasks ahead. So I’ve declared Friday, September the 16th, as a National Day of Prayer and Remembrance. I ask that we pray — as Americans have always prayed in times of trial — with confidence in His purpose, with hope for a brighter future, and with the humility to ask God to keep us strong so that we can better serve our brothers and sisters in need.”
“Pray … with hope for a brighter future. …” That sounds pretty open-ended. Maybe we can pray for this guy and his whole entourage to go on vacation, permanently.
Interesting about Bush and national days of prayer — he’s proclaimed a whole bunch of them, starting the day after he was inaugurated in 2001; maybe he knew something. But we also have the National Day of Prayer the first week of May each year, National Days of Prayer and Remembrance to mark the 9/11 anniversary every year; and now a day of post-Katrina prayer. Good to see someone so willing to share his faith with the people; but I wonder whether he ought to declare some pre-emptive prayer days so that maybe we can skip some of the after-tragedy prayer.
Technorati Tags: hurricane katrina
Perhaps this sacred hymn will set the tone: “If you’re happy and you know it, clap your hands….”