Occasionally I’ve wondered, if a liberal prayed fervently for her political ideology to prevail, and a conservative prayed just as fervently that her political ideology would prevail, which prayer would be answered?  Would God throw up his hands and call it a wash?  Does he even bother with politics or is that outside his purview?

I wondered this yesterday as I read a news story on the Focus on the Family Web site about a 27-hour prayer vigil to be held on the west lawn of the Capitol on September 13-14.  Participants in this public prayer are to include a number of pro-life groups, according to ProLifeUnity.com:  Bound for Life, Pro-Life Unity, Christian Defense Coalition, The Fredericksburg Prayer Furnace, Generation Life, Survivors, Grace Church of Fredericksburg and Operation Rescue.  

The Focus on the Family news story says one prayer in particular will be that  whatever health care proposal is passed won’t pay for abortions.  Though Focus on the Family isn’t in charge of this prayer, Shirley Dobson, wife of former Focus head James Dobson, has headed up the National Day of Prayer in the past.  Though, based on a story in the Denver Post this morning, the Colorado Springs based ministry should perhaps be praying for more revenue.  You can bet their 75 laid-off employees are praying, and not wasting their time driving to Washington to do so.

Public prayer both intrigues and amuses me.  For liberals, the biggest concern about public prayer gatherings has been political correctness:  Do they include all people of faith? Do they exclude those who don't choose faith?  

I have a more basic concern:  Do they even work?  Or, at least, any better than sitting at home and praying.

You can’t get more public than the west lawn of the U.S. Capitol.  But it’s one thing to gather in churches to pray, and quite another to make it a photo opportunity.  In fairness, I should mention, such "prayer ops" aren't limited only to Americans, to conservative organizations, or even to Christianity.

And it turns out public piety was something Jesus weighed pretty heavily on.  In his Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full.”

My interpretation of this verse is not only that public prayer may be hypocritical, but that it isn’t particularly effective.  After all, the ultimate goal of private prayer is that God hears and answers your prayer.  But when you pray in public, your goal is to improve public relations.  Other people will see you praying, admire your outstanding faith and donate more money to your cause.  God, on the other hand, apparently isn’t impressed, and perhaps doesn’t even bother to listen.  

So, why would people go to so much time and effort to travel to our nation’s capitol for a 27-hour vigil God would pointedly ignore?  Especially when Jesus goes on to say we can sit home in our bedroom and pray for the same thing, or even exactly the opposite thing, and at least get a hearing?

I have no idea.  Still, it never ceases to amuse me.