This Is My Prayer

It has been ages since I have prayed, and even longer since I prayed like I meant it. There is no time within memory in which I believed in a God that answered prayer. That always seemed like such a stretch, given the numbers of potential petitioners. The existence of so much misery in the world argued powerfully against it. Besides, the entire concept of God is so dodgy to begin with. But still.

To be on the safe side, there have been times when I have responded to the world's constant reminders of other people's belief in God with a brief, but sincere, prayer of thanks. This I direct to fate, perhaps to the Great Mystery, maybe to God-If-God-There-Be, sometimes to “the gods,” and there have been many thousands of them, but usually just to the nameless void. “Thank you for never allowing the worst to happen.” If nothing else, this simple prayer of gratitude reminds me that I have been fairly lucky in my passage here.

Wishing harm against someone is almost certainly wrong, and praying for it to happen would almost certainly backfire. Although we still have the Old Testament in the canon, and that is a very different kettle of fish. Old Testament God was strongly in the smiting business. Many individuals, whole families, many cities, societies, and once the entire world, were smitten mercilessly by God. That God might be receptive to sincere prayers begging God to smite someone. If the petitioner were truly beloved of God, that OG God might just swing into his smiting posture. It might still be worth a try.

I wouldn't be the one to take a chance on harshing God's mellow by asking him to smite someone, but circumstances demand that someone take the chance and go for it. We must face the fact that within the mysterious fog that is American politics there are people who need to be smitten. I don't want to name any names, but you don't need any help anyway. There are one or two, I swear, every morning I wake up and I am amazed that they weren't smote yesterday. Only a few well placed smites would make the entire world a better place. I know that they say, “be careful what you wish for,” and it's true, but maybe this is a good time for Him to come out of his God-Sleep and clean house a little bit.

So what do you say? Any of the truly pure-of-heart out there among my readership? Anybody ready to start a prayer offensive? Two people, three tops, methodology up to God. The people that I have in mind of of an age where people routinely die, so none of this would raise any eyebrows.

What do you think? Worth a try?