The 2014 National Day of Prayer was already marginally controversial because of the US military’s decision to allow uniformed servicemembers to attend at the request of Congressman Robert Aderholt (R-Al).

There were largely only two stories that came out of the event: Dr. James Dobson called President Obama the “abortion president,” and Rep Janice Hahn (D-Ca) walked out.

Unfortunately, calling out President Obama undermined Dr. Dobson’s greater point, as demonstrated by the subsequent news coverage. Dr. Dobson could have made the same argument without reference to the President and still made substantially significant remarks on the abortion culture in the United States and our need to pray for justice for the unborn.

Instead, the focus was lost, and few are hearing what others said, including Billy Graham’s daughter, Anne Graham Lotz:

“God is trying to wake us up before it is too late,” she said. “God’s judgment is ugly when it falls. And He never sneaks up and judges us by surprise. He always, always, always sends warnings … the only antidote, the only solution is repentance of sin.”

That was a lesson throughout the day, even within Dr. Dobson’s own words — and that is a lesson the Nation needs to hear.

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