National Day of Prayer Is Unconstitutional

Yup, that is correct. The Courts have deemed the National Day of Prayer is UNCONSTITUTIONAL. OK, maybe that is not really news. It has been 2 weeks since this was all over the web. And only now am I getting around to commenting on this event. Why am I so tardy?

There are a couple of reasons for my tardiness. The first is that this was so explosive 2 weeks ago; I didn't want my comments to be buried. The second reason is that the National Day of Prayer is next Thursday.

So the National Day of Prayer is ruled unconstitutional. It is interesting. The ruling did not surprise, nor upset me. When we live in a governmental system that is increasingly separating us from our Christian founding, then one should expect to see such actions. (This judge also lives in the same state that says, “Spare the rod, love the child.”)

So what should our response be to this? For one, there is an element of shock when Obama administration promises to appeal this. But then that is another blog thought, not for this one.

Let's consider the article itself. The link is from the USA Today. Here is the first: “Congress established the day in 1952 and in 1988 set the first Thursday in May as the day for presidents to issue proclamations asking Americans to pray.”

So the President is to ask for Americans to pray. Now one must ask the question, are we not praying the rest of the year? As Christians, are we not to be praying all the time? (Consider 1 Thessalonians 5.17: “Pray without ceasing.”)

There is also the part that the article suggests that the president asks the American People to pray. Yet do we need the blessings of the President, Congress or even a Judge to pray to our Heavenly Father? Of course not.

And yet, there is a lesson here. Though there are those in the society who will love to deny public recognition of our religious origins, the judge who writes against this day, calling it unconstitutional says something that is very true of Christian Prayer to our Heavenly Father. She wrote, “In fact, it is because the nature of prayer is so personal and can have such a powerful effect on a community that the government may not use its authority to try to influence an individual's decision whether and when to pray.”

I am not sure whether or not she is a Christian. But she certainly understands the power we as Christians have in prayer. How often do we say, “I wish I could do more than pray for you”? Jesus showed us the power of prayer with the fig tree in Matthew 21.

Through prayer I have seen a mountain move for a church. Through prayer I have seen a stroke victim come out unscathed. Through prayer, I have seen a holey heart turned new. I have seen hardened hearts melt. I have seen God’s hand move mightily.

Yet it took a non-Christian point of view to remind us about this lesson. And for the other question about laws against prayer? It would not be the first time a child of God was told to not pray to God, if this indeed leads to that. Consider Daniel 6. If our government does make a law that goes against the Word of the Lord Almighty, then let us follow Daniel’s example.

Thanks for sharing with me from the trail… smh