David Fowler, our state's biggest busybody, and his support group of other busybodies, the Family Action Council of Tennessee, are calling for four days of prayer for marriage Aug. 3-6. From the Book of David:
God's Design for Marriage is Under Attack! On August 6, 2014 at 1 p.m. in Cincinnati, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit will hear arguments a to whether or not marriage laws defining marriage between one man and one woman are unconstitutional.Ecclesiastes 3:1 declares this truth:
"For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven."
As marriage goes before the Federal 6th Circuit Court, we see this as a time and season to devote to prayer for marriage.
Aug. 3 is when Fowler is asking "all churches in all four states to set aside time for corporate prayer. (See Prayer Points on reverse side)." This is so great — Prayer Points. Fowler is literally providing text for churches to pray together, like he's the Protestant Pope or something. Those who claim to have His ear must know God responds best to clear and easily understandable points.
But you know, if some jackass like David Fowler can declare four days of prayer for marriage, a jackass like me can declare four days of prayer for David Fowler. So, churches, if you'd like to join me in four days of prayer for David Fowler, we'll be praying for David at the times when David has told us he'll be praying.
Here are my suggested prayer points:
• We'll pray that David leaves a note so that his loved ones don't become concerned when he follows Matthew 6:5 and goes into his closet to pray in secret, because Jesus has cautioned His followers not to pray in public like the hypocrites do. You better believe David won't be making some big show of praying, since Jesus warns so clearly against it.
• We'll pray that the next time David cites Ecclesiastes when he argues for God's one-man-one-woman marriage design, he won't just quote The Byrds but will actually read the book and note that the Preacher says, "Foreign rulers brought me silver, gold, and precious treasures. Men and women sang for me, and I had many wives who gave me great pleasure." (Ecclesiastes 2:8) We'll also be taking a brief break from prayer to laugh long and hard about David quoting a biblical polygamist to support his position that biblical marriage is one man & one woman.
• We'll pray that David begins to understand that no one experiences his prayer points as anything more than yet another attempt to shame people who've already been poorly treated by Christian demagogues. We'll pray that David contemplates how terrible it would feel to be singled out by public figures for prayer days devoted to their sinfulness, and that David takes to heart Luke 6:31 and begins to treat others as he wishes to be treated, as Jesus asks.
• We'll pray that when the courts rule contrary to David's wishes, people who've invested in his Tinkerbell version of God — "If we all just clap real hard at the same time, we'll get our way!" — won't lose faith. Furthermore, we'll pray they will consider that the Scripture tells us that if you don't love, you don't know God (1 John 4:8). In other words, standing in the way of people who love each other in the ways the Bible tells us to recognize love — "Love is kind and patient, never jealous, boastful, proud, or rude. Love isn’t selfish or quick tempered. It doesn’t keep a record of wrongs that others do. Love rejoices in the truth, but not in evil. Love is always supportive, loyal, hopeful, and trusting." (1 Corinthians 13:4-7) — is trying to prevent people from knowing God. That's a strange goal for a bunch of Christians. We'll pray that they come to understand why it's not surprising their prayers haven't been all that effective.
Sadly, there's not much of a budget for sending out flyers to promote Four Days of Prayer for David Fowler, so it probably won't be as popular as his efforts to pray for marriage. But I still hope he feels us holding him in our hearts during this time.
