Up-Close at the National Prayer Breakfast

Alan MacDonald, a partial-support missionary serving with Wycliffe (actually, with the Summer Institute of Linguistics), sent this report on the 2001 National Prayer Breakfast, which was held on Thursday, February 1. His work with SIL involves interacting with representatives from foreign governments. The MacDonalds live near Washington, D. C.

February 7, 2001

I've been trying to find time to report on this year's National Prayer Breakfast which took place last Thursday, February 1. I'm afraid this is going to have to be the "condensed version," as I'm racing to get ready for a trip to Europe on Friday.

The Prayer Breakfast itself is just one event in a series of events over three days. Again, it was a highlight of the year for those of us in Washington privileged to participate. My colleagues in the office and I are part of the international support staff working to assist in the logistics of the NPB. Representatives from over 150 countries were in attendance, so it would be more accurate to call it the International Prayer Breakfast. The experience for each of us participating is amazingly different, as the NPB is a kaleidoscope of encounters and conversations. We hear the same speakers at a few of the dinners we all attend, but the interaction around the tables, in the halls, and in small groups is quite varied.

We approach it each year with an attitude of expectation. As Rep. Tony Hall said, "When people come together in the Spirit of Christ, and lift up Jesus, good things happen!" Well, the whole purpose of the NPB is to lift up Jesus and come together in His name. What makes this remarkable is that people from all faiths as well as those of no faith come and watch and listen - and in same cases share.

It is not a "Christian" gathering as such. Otherwise, the Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, and non-believers would not be so willing to attend. Most of these religions have some respect for the person of Christ and are willing to come--people like my friend the Laotian Ambassador to the UN and his wife. Laos is among the worse offenders when it comes to persecuting the Body of Christ. However, this man has said to me, "The Prayer Breakfast is very special. I will come every year as long as I'm posted at the UN." Who knows how God is using this time in the heart of a man like this.

The International Luncheon

The kick-off event is the International Luncheon which took place on Wednesday, January 31. In attendance were nine heads of state, representatives of the diplomatic community in both Washington and New York, as well as hundreds of other business leadersÖand party crashers like me! I sat with my Laotian Ambassador friend and his wife, the Ambassador of Thailand to the U.S., a Thai Cabinet Minister, and a couple of others. Former Senator Connie Mack of Florida served as emcee for the luncheon. He shared how Jesus changed his life by causing him to become open, vulnerable, and inclusive. He both encouraged and challenged people to open up to the tremendous rewards of following the teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. A number of speakers shared and also read from Scripture. One was a former cabinet minister from Norway who said, "I was told there was more power in a group gathered together to pray than in the cabinet. I tried both. It's true!"

The President of Macedonia, Boris Trajkovski, read Psalm 91 and made a few comments. He said he was not there as president of his country but as a follower of Christ. "Because Jesus is in my life, He is my leader!"

A Indian Member of Parliament, a Hindu, spoke about his involvement with a small group meeting in India. He said a group of parliamentarians meet, coming from all religious backgrounds--people who normally would not have anything to do with one another. He asked, "What is the unity of this group? What is the common bond? Jesus of Nazareth." He said, "I'm a Hindu but I love Jesus!"

The only "bump" in the proceedings was the brother-in-law of the Dalai Lama, who spoke next at the luncheon. He gave what was mostly a political speech about Tibet. It really wasn't in keeping with the spirit of the gathering. After the luncheon, Mark Siljander, a former Congressman from Michigan, told me that the Chinese delegation was sitting with him at his table. The leader of the delegation got up during the Tibetan's remarks and said to Mark, "This is highly offensive and we're leaving." With that they walked out. I was sorry to see international politics intrude. It really is amazing that there is so little of this in a gathering where "enemies" are present.

The President of Rwanda spoke next. As you know, Rwanda experienced a terrible genocide in the early 90s. Hundreds of thousands of people died in the fighting between the Hutus and the Tutsis. President Kagame has a tremendous challenge before him in trying to return the country to normalcy. Speaking from a passage in Proverbs, he called upon the group to "speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves and to defend the rights of the poor and needy." He talked of the relevance of Christ's words in today's world.

Behind the Scenes

Much of what happens at the prayer breakfast are things that go on behind the scenes and are unreported. Or, the media reports only what it thinks is happening. You may have heard that the President of the Congo was also here for the prayer breakfast. Joseph Kabila is the son of the Congolese President assassinated a few weeks back. Congo and Rwanda are at war with each other. Through the efforts of believers in key positions, these men were invited to come, and they accepted the invitation, to meet together in the Spirit of Jesus to talk about reconciliation.

This is the heart of what the NPB is about--bringing people together in the Spirit of Jesus, showing love, and promoting reconciliation. To read the paper, one would think that the main purpose of their coming was to meet with President Bush. No, it wasn't about Bush, it was about God.

Congressman Steve Largent from Oklahoma said at the luncheon that the group gathered represented "an invisible network of friends with the desire to draw all men to Jesus." He went on to say, "There are people in this room who are at war with each other. There are others from countries where there is great suffering. If we practice the principles Christ taught, we can lead in new ways."

The Congressional Prayer Meetings

Wednesday evening was another highlight for me. Each year the United Nations Ambassadors attending the NPB get together for dinner. I was again privileged to be invited to join this dinner. Some 40 Ambassadors and their spouses were there for a relaxed evening together.

Congressman Tony Hall, the speaker, he shared how the weekly prayer meetings in the House and Senate started and how they function. Every Tuesday morning about 60 Congressman get together for a time of fellowship. Only members of Congress can attend. No staff. They sing, share their joys and sorrows, read Scripture, and pray together. They come together in the name of Jesus, but the group is open to all -- all religious faiths and to those of no faith. Politics stops at the door and nothing that is shared ever leaves the room.

Tony said, "To read the newspaper or watch the news, you would think we do nothing but fight." He referred to the passage of Scripture that says, "As long as the King sought the Lord, the people prospered."

Now, for my Republican readers, I need to tell you that Tony is a liberal Democrat. I can hear some of you asking, "How can he be both?" Well, it's possible, believe me. Tony is one of the most outspoken witnesses for Christ on Capitol Hill. His best friend and closest brother-in-Christ is Frank Wolfe, a conservative Republican. They meet each week for prayer and Bible study. They hold each other accountable, and there's nothing one wouldn't do for the other. This "odd couple" really makes an impact here in Washington.

Telling My Story

On my left was the Japanese Ambassador, and to my right was the Mongolian Ambassador and his wife. Also at the table I was hosting were the ambassadors of Burma, The Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Pakistan and their spouses. We had a very enjoyable time together. The conversation turned to how these ambassadors wound up in the high positions they hold.

I was asked how I can to do what I do. I had an opportunity to share how my dream was also to be an ambassador, but that God led me from diplomatic service into my work with the Summer Institute of Linguistics. I told how God worked in my life to direct my footsteps. I told of my British relative who influenced me at an early age. He was with the British Foreign Office and posted to Washington when I was 10 or 12 years old. He arrived in a big black car and spoke of how they had seven servants in their previous posting in Japan! I remember thinking, "HmmmÖthere's a job where you get a big limo and seven servants! That's what I want to do!" Well, the Lord planted a seed which grew and matured and eventually led me to SIL.

I concluded by saying, "In the end, I didn't become an ambassador." The Mongolian Ambassador to the UN cut me off and said, "But you are an ambassador!" While he didn't say it outright, I think he was inferring I was an Ambassador for God.

The mention of the "big car and seven servants" also prompted a discussion at a deeper level about the "cost" of serving one's nation as ambassador. It's not all limos and parties. It involves tremendous demands upon the family and impacts the children especially. This is something I can relate to and a point of common experience that the Lord has used to develop some deep relationships with some in the diplomatic community.

We were comparing notes on how our kids don't like "American" vegetables, and they said their kids return to their homelands and turn up their noses at the local produce! At the end of the evening, the Mongolian Ambassador asked me to come see him the next time I'm in New York. Now there are two ambassadors who ask me to see them just to talk--no "business."

The Prayer Breakfast: Random Interactions

On to the actual Prayer Breakfast. As usual, me and the other "worker bees" were gathered downstairs below the ballroom above when the 4000 guests ate breakfast with the President. Actually, I would prefer to be downstairs in that you don't have to go "security"--a time-consuming process that involves waiting in long lines for long periods of time!

Usually, the Vice President speaks to our group, but this year the schedule was a bit jumbled. I knew that President Bush was going to be 45 minutes late for the Breakfast, so that had people scrambling. He got there just at the last moment. Last year, Hillary Clinton spoke to our group, since Al Gore was campaigning. The year before, I got to shake hands with the VP.

This year was more exciting for who was at the table rather than who was speaking. I've tried to be more intentional in asking God to lead me to the people He wants me to meet, and that I will be more sensitive to His orchestration. I wound up sitting at a table where I found a friend I hadn't seen in years. His is a Tibetan living in India who is involved in Christian ministry to the Tibetan people. Years ago we served together on the Board of Directors of the Central Asia Fellowship. I hadn't seen him since he was in our home in Hong Kong about ten years ago.

While I was talking with this friend, another person sat down on my left. He looked to me to be about 16 years old. I thought he was a high school student. After we introduced ourselves, I asked what he did. He said he worked for a distribution company which uses the internet to distribute products of any kind. I asked how he got into that. "I've been a computer geek all my life and was a supply officer in the Marine Corps." What? I could hardly believe this "kid" could have been in the Marines. Then, he went on to say that after the Marines he worked for Microsoft for nine years! Unbelievable!

As I told him about some of the things SIL is doing in terms of language software development and font development, he got more and more excited. He said that what we're doing is something that will be essential for international business distribution, and that he felt there was great interest and funding available for such initiatives. He wanted to know more about our work and see if he can help us somehow in the information technology area.

As we talked more, it dawned on me that he was one of Bill Gates' software genius-types! He and another person launched an internet-based business that has taken off. I need to get him in touch with my colleagues in Dallas who speak geek.

Anyway, these are the kinds of "random" interactions that occur.

The Prayer Breakfast: The American Doctor

A man named Wintley Phipps sang a beautiful song called "Heal Our Land," written by Sen. Orin Hatch. Different Congressional leaders read passages of Scripture, and Vice President Dick Cheney spoke briefly. He talked about coming from Wyoming, where God's creation can be seen in all its glory. "Yellowstone, Grand Tetons, Devil's CanyonÖI said He created them, He didn't name them!"

He went on to talk about the need to seek God's purposes through prayer. Quoting from Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address, he said he believes that "the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous." Susan Baker, the wife of former Secretary of State James Baker, led in prayer.

Billy Graham has attended all but four of the Breakfasts (which began in 1953). He was supposed to be the speaker, but was unable to attend due to health problems. Sen. Bill Frist of Tennessee was the main speaker. Frist was a heart transplant surgeon before being elected to the Senate. He gave a moving account on the transplant process - from the moment he gets the phone call that a heart is available to the moment the heart starts beating in a different body. He talked about the spiritual lessons of a heart transplant. No just the obvious ones of a new heart, but others like the power of a gift to someone the giver never knew, never would know.

Frist spoke of Jesus' words in John 15. He spoke of the miracle of a heart being stopped. Taken from a body and cut off from all life. Then, starting to beat again. He said that like faith, doctors and scientists can describe the process in great detail but they can't explain it. He also shared his experience of performing surgery in Africa even after becoming a Senator.

He told of a patient in Sudan who asked to see him. This person wanted to see "the American doctor." Frist was tired from treating many people under very difficult circumstances and ready to return home. He said that reluctantly he went to meet the person asking to see him. In the dark corner of a small room, he found a man with thick bandages on the stump of a leg and on the stump of an arm. Frist said this man had a smile on his face that just filled the room. The Senator noticed a Bible on the table next to the bed.

Frist asked why he wanted to see "the American doctor." The man told how both his wife and his children were killed in the fighting in Sudan. Then he stepped on a landmine, losing an arm and a leg. Frist kept wondering, how can this man smile? What does he have to smile about? Finally he asked him, "How can you go through all this and smile?"

The man replied, "I'm smiling because you came here to share the love of Jesus and because you're the American doctor."

Frist asked, "What do you mean? What difference does it make that I'm the 'American' doctor?"

The man answered him by saying, "Everything I've gone through will be worth it if someday we have the freedom you have in America to worship as we please." For those of us who have lived in countries where this freedom doesn't exist, this resonates deeply.

The Prayer Breakfast: President Bush

Well, we haven't even gotten to President Bush yet! I must tell you his speech was quite different from President Clinton's speeches in previous years. President Bush spoke not only about his personal faith, but about how that faith would impact policy. He said, "The days of discriminating against religious institutions simply because they are religious must come to an end. Faith is important to civility. We'll not just tolerate faith but respect it."

He said that without faith, he doubted whether he would be standing there. He said his faith also helps to teach him humility and added, "Laura says I could use it!"

He continued, "An American President serves people of every faith and no faith at all. I'm interested in what's constitutional but also in what works."

As he talked about the role of faith in public life, he said, "Our nation has need of this today.The Bible says that fresh water and salt water cannot flow from the same spring. Old habits die hard in this city! I believe in the power of prayer."

As he closed, he related the story of President Truman praying that as he took office he would be a good and faithful servant to my Lord and people. "That is my prayer today."

Wintley Phipps closed the Breakfast by singing, "It is well with my soul." Powerful, powerful, powerful. Deeply moving.

In Conclusion...

Let me end with a statement that Congressman Mike Doyle (another Democrat) made, which is a good point to close on. "We can never change the worldÖmake people love each other, by introducing legislation. God's love is the most powerful force in the world, and it's God's love that can change the world."

May our leaders show the same qualities as they seek to do the right thing for the rest of us.

I think I'm late for my plane!