I have absolutely nothing against praying. Now that I’ve stated that for the record I also need to say that Sonny Purdue publicly praying for rain in Georgia one day before forecast thunderstorms are due to pass through the area is a little bit dubious, in my opinion.
The way I see it, the old saying “God helps those who help themselves” is about the best advice a person can be given in regards to praying as a means of problem solving. It doesn’t hurt, but I don’t think it really helps either – at least not from a practical standpoint. God doesn’t actively interfere in human affairs, at least not in any way any of us could possibly comprehend. From my vantage point, God may be watching, but that’s about it.
I’ll admit to praying myself. I did it a few times in Iraq as rockets were flying over my head. However, I’m rational enough to know that it wasn’t my prayer that kept the rocket from landing on me. And those rockets always did land. Sometimes they killed people. Assuming my prayers had the power to guide the rockets away from my own body how should I feel knowing they just shattered someone else’s existence and then snuffed it out?
I think Georgia Governor Sonny Purdue and his myrmidons should pray if they want too. Might even make them feel better to do so. However, when it comes to the public arena, I believe their efforts in front of the cameras and microphones are better spent discussing how Georgians can help themselves do a better job of water resource management and the sharing of those resources with neighbors. God isn’t going to get involved and save Georgia from its own bad decision making anymore than God got involved to save the millions who died from the Black Plague in the Middle Ages. A healthy dose of feel-good platitudes to the invisible and untouchable Creator is all fine and dandy, but I need to hear what the plan is. Praying is not a plan. Water resource management using the scientific method and proven project management principles are a plan.