A Prayer for War

Mark Twain’s writing is timeless.  It is still true today as it was in the early 1900’s.  He admonishes the congregants to be mindful of what you pray for.  I have heard this all my life. “Be careful what you pray for, you may not like the consequences.”   More recently I have been told that to pray for rain in drought stricken Georgia, may take away the rain from another place in greater need.  In Twain’s “The War Prayer” he reminds us that not only did God hear the spoken prayer He also heard the unspoken part of the prayer from the preacher and the congregation.  The problem with the congregation I think was that they were already too far into the frenzy of war to hear the Messenger of God.  He wanted to remind the people that to pray that the Americans be victorious, the “enemy” must not be.  As a consequence of this battle, the survivors of the fallen had to continue to go on without their beloved fathers, brothers, husbands or sons.   Why would humanity pray for such tragic results?  The Americans did not even know these people they were being sent to eradicate.  The messenger was attempting to enlighten the people to speak of peace and not war.