I've seen some criticisms against President Obama for using prayer invocations at rallies and speeches since Inauguration Day, not just at very formal educational/governmental events; insofar as Mr. Obama is a public official charged with protecting all rights of all faiths and non-believers, like Bush or any President insisting they must have an Executive control in faith-based affairs, he probably should abstain from the overuse of prayer vetted by and thus ordained by government to avoid inference atheists or other religious views come to naught in our society.

 

That said, as my own prayer at the beginning of the 2009 Lenten season, I offer all readers and the world my earnest wish for God's blessings, grace, and mercy to rise within all people in all the earth's nations.

 

This Lenten season, may more of we Christians (and all faiths)come to observe that when we pray for our own cares and not humankind in general at all; pray for negative energy against anyone; pray as if we are channeling or summoning our God or Christ like some Baals who don't have omnipresence and exist unless conjured for action; don't pray at all or in concert with others of goodwill; give up on prayer because we cannot see perhaps God IS doing something to help the whole issue not just symptoms; or pray as if tether to this world alone is our prayerful desire, in such cases most often either neither changes for us or just gets worse no matter our pretense or earnest of good works...let every one of us on earth pray together for God's blessings and mercy on all mankind, and have the patience and peaceful perserverance to give God the exercise of His wisdom alone in answer to us. For myself, I make this prayer in the name and through the merits of Jesus Christ. Amen.