It happens every year at this time. The Associated Press, supplier of the majority of the state, national and international news published in this newspaper, rates the Top Ten stories for the year. And they do so by submitting a ballot to wire editors across the nation. It landed on my desk this year as I am the primary wire editor for the McCook Daily Gazette.

There are in excess of 45 stories from which to choose, running the gamut from Anna Nicole Smith's tragic demise and the myriad stories filed from that event to the ongoing coverage of Iran's nuclear ambitions or the lack thereof.

Weather provided an ample supply of news throughout the year as well. The drought in the Southeast part of our nation brought about a hue and cry. The citizens of Georgia, specifically Atlanta and surrounding communities, remain in danger of losing their potable water supply, due to the shrinking water supply.

The situation is quickly becoming calamitous. So much so, that Gov. Sonny Perdue called for a day of prayer Nov. 13, on the steps of the state capitol.

The resulting cry of the so-called separation of church and state constitutional violation was easy to predict.

But Gov. Purdue's call to prayer has had an unexpected result. Not only did Atlanta receive .17 of moisture during the next 48 hours, news stations were quick to jump on the prayer bandwagon with CNN's Anderson Cooper devoting a large segment of his Nov. 14, broadcast to Purdue and prayer.

Cooper's guests were Drs. Deepak Chopra and Mehmet Oz. Chopra is touted as a champion of mind-and-body medicine and is the author of "Buddha: A Story of Enlightenment." Oz is reportedly a renowned surgeon, the health expert for the "Oprah Winfrey Show" and co-author of "You Staying Young."

Gov. Purdue, a member of a Georgia Baptist church, it should be noted, was not praying to Buddha, nor entering a state of silent meditation as does Dr. Oz, when he intoned, "Our Father, as we come before you today, we acknowledge that we are needy people, and we need you. It is you that we need, and it is your power and your miracles that we need.

"And, Father, we call upon you today to meet that need. Father, we acknowledge our wastefulness. We acknowledge that we have not done those things that we should do...

"God we need you. We need rain. Father, may we go forth in this place today with bended hearts toward you, acknowledging our total and utter dependence upon you moment by moment for your blessings."

From the text there can be no doubt as to whom Georgia's governor was speaking. Will he answer in the affirmative? It remains to be seen. Can he answer in the affirmative? Beyond any doubt. Scripture is replete with citations noting the sovereignty of God over the weather. Jesus calming the storm on the Sea of Galilee is only one of many examples. (It is important to point out that the Lord God has not opened his storehouse to alleviate the drought in the weeks since this event, in fact between Nov. 27 and Dec. 3, Atlanta recorded a miniscule .06 inches of precious precipitation.)

The noted doctors on Cooper's broadcast stayed clear of identifying who answers prayer -- they focused primarily on the effect of prayer on the one praying.

Dr. Oz, in his closing remarks, said, "(W)e believe that prayer offers a sense of community. And it turns out that when humans have a sense of community, you also build up resilience, a series of systems to protect you against adverse events."

According to these experts, we can find this "inner calm" in any religion. That may be true. But what we won't find in any religion is a God who is all-powerful and able to answer the prayers of a righteous man. (James 5:16)

A sense of inner calm would have done me no good at all while Ben lay in a hospital bed at 6 months of age, an undiagnosed illness leaching his strength day by day. A sense of inner calm could not have sustained a marriage destined for destruction by the world's standards. A sense of inner calm has nothing to do with who I am and why I am the way I am. God does. He answers prayer. He provides reconciliation. He heals human hearts of diverse illnesses and from sin's dark stain. And, for me, the most remarkable prayers of all are the ones he answered with a resounding "NO." Only God is wise enough to say that and stick to it, knowing the disastrous effect of the opposite answer.

Was Sonny Purdue wrong to pray when he did, where he did? Perhaps. But he did pray aright when he addressed God as Father, who longs to give good gifts to his children.

"If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked way, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and heal their land." 2 Chronicles 7:14 (NIV)

Things you won't see in heaven:

Prayer lists