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“And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.
But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.”
Matthew 6:5-6

First there was the commotion about President Obama canceling the National Day of Prayer. However, on April 30, he issued his Presidential Proclamation declaring “I, Barak Obama, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim May 6, 2010, as a National Day of Prayer. I call upon the citizens of our Nation to pray... and I invite all people of faith to join me in asking for God's continued guidance, grace, and protection as we meet the challenges before us.”

Then there was the uproar in response to a recent Wisconsin court ruling which claimed that the federal observance of a National Day of Prayer was unconstitutional, and many critics of the President attempted to link him with such anti-prayer sentiments; yet President Obama remained steady in his course, vowing to observe the Day regardless of any court ruling, issuing his proclamation two weeks later as promised.

Today, however, the President is still under fire as some Christian leaders are ridiculing him for observing the Day in private, rather than making a public spectacle and availing himself to photo ops. This is obviously a repeat of the “drive-by” politics employed last year when President Obama observed the Day in similar fashion. The President pushes forward regardless, as White House spokesman Shin Inouye pointed out on Tuesday, “The president is a committed Christian who is proud of his engagement with people of faith.”

Beware, my Christian brothers and sisters. We tread on thin spiritual ice when we mock and criticize a fellow believer who simply follows the words of our Savior, however unpopular they may be even to some professing Christians: “When you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place.” Perhaps, this is an example worth following. We must ask ourselves: Is our Faith spiritually empowered, or merely the tool of political rhetoric?