Erwin Lutzer, long-time pastor of Moody Church in Chicago, tells
of the story of the time when he was ushered into the Oval Office in the White
House. He was once at a conference where he met a Secret Service agent who
worked at the White House. During the course of their conversation, the agent
asked Lutzer if he would like to go see the Oval Office. The President at the
time, George Bush the elder, was out of town for the Memorial Day Holiday and of
course, Lutzer said yes. On that Memorial Day Monday he and his daughter showed
up at the White House to conduct the visit.
I’m sure you’ve noticed that every time someone has an
accident or other unfortunate event in their lives, there will be some who will
immediately tell them that they are in their “thoughts and prayers.” Whenever I
hear someone say such a thing (often on TV or some other form of mass media), I
can’t help but wonder if the person saying such a thing really understands what
they’re saying. I know that this is usually offered as some sort of consolation
to the one who is the victim of the mishap. But does the speaker understand
what he or she is saying? More than likely they do not. All too often you will
hear people say such things who, by the way they conduct themselves and the things
they say on a daily basis, have no concern for the spiritual and who, dare I
say it, probably do little if any praying.
