At this time when our nation and much of the world are mourning the passing of the Rev. Billy Graham, it would be appropriate to remember a prayer once offered for our nation, as follows:

“Heavenly Father, we come before you today to ask forgiveness and to seek your direction and guidance. We know your words say, ‘Woe to those who call evil, good,’ but that is exactly what we have done. We have lost our spiritual equilibrium and reversed our values.

“We have exploited the poor and called it a lottery.

“We have rewarded laziness and called it welfare.

“We have killed our unborn children and called it choice.

“We have shot abortionists and called it justifiable.

“We have neglected to discipline our children and called it building self-esteem.

“We have abused power and called it politics.

“We have coveted our neighbor’s possessions and called it ambition.

“We have polluted the air with profanity and pornography and called it freedom of expression.

“We have ridiculed the time-honored values of our forefathers and called it enlightenment.

“Search us, oh God, and know our hearts today; cleanse us from sin and set us free. Amen.”

The words are very appropriate today. I pray we will listen.

— Lola Floss

Salisbury