PLUS

John 12:13b “Hosanna: Blessed is the King of Israel that cometh in the name of the Lord.”

Mark 15:13 “And they cried out again, Crucify him.”

Society can change quickly, though it shouldn’t surprise us. After all, in a few short days the people of Jerusalem changed their cries about Jesus from “Hosanna” to “Crucify him.”

The cultural change in our society regarding the preeminence of religious freedom has been rapid. On November 16, 1993, The New York Times reported the following about the Religious Freedom Restoration Act: “President Clinton today signed into law legislation requiring the Government to meet stringent standards before instituting measures that might interfere with religious practices.”

On that day, President Clinton said the following:

“The free exercise of religion has been called the first freedom, that which originally sparked the development of the full range of the Bill of Rights.”

“What this law basically says is that the Government should be held to a very high level of proof before it interferes with someone’s free exercise of religion. This judgment is shared by the people of the United States as well as by the Congress. We believe strongly that we can never, we can never be too vigilant in this work.”

“Let us instead respect one another’s faiths, fight to the death to preserve the right of every American to practice whatever convictions he or she has, but bring our values back to the table of American discourse to heal our troubled land.”

Amen Bill Clinton!

Sadly, these same sentiments are now being called hateful, bigoted, and discriminatory. Attempts to implement similar legislation at the state level are prompting protests and boycotts sanctioned at times by government itself. How quickly we have drifted and how far have we fallen. PLEASE PRAY THAT AMERICANS WOULD REALIZE THE VITAL IMPORTANCE OF OUR FIRST FREEDOM, RELIGIOUS LIBERTY.

Christian citizen, this has all happened on our watch. We have failed to be vigilant, and society has shifted in a generation. We shouldn’t be surprised that such things could happen, but we haven’t faithfully fought to prevent it. PLEASE ALSO PRAY THAT AMERICAN CHRISTIANS WOULD BE VIGILANT AND DILIGENT IN OUR FIGHT FOR RELIGIOUS FREEDOM. We can never to too vigilant in this work.

SET YOUR ALARM: If you’re alarmed (at the hopelessness, divisiveness and anger in America), set your alarm (to pray for our nation)!

For a related thought, please see: https://prayatlunch.us/complicit/

Psalm 133:1 “Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!”

Of the demographic and moral composition of America, Benjamin Franklin wrote the following in Information to Those Who Would Remove to America after describing the hard work that is required by life in a new nation:

“Hence bad examples to youth are more rare in America; which must be a comfortable consideration to parents. To this may be truly added, that serious religion, under its various denominations, is not only tolerated, but respected and practiced. Atheism is unknown there, infidelity rare and secret; so that persons may live to a great age in that country without having their piety shocked by meeting with either an atheist or an infidel. And the Divine Being seems to have manifested his approbation of the mutual forbearance and kindness with which the different sects treat each other, by the remarkable prosperity with which He has been pleased to favour the whole country.”

Imagine such a brochure today, inviting people to relocate to a new nation. It sounds like paradise, though it is sadly a long lost description of the character of America. Instead, bad examples abound today. Serious religion is no longer universally practiced, respected, or tolerated. Atheism and infidelity are common. Our piety is regularly shocked. We treat others with disdain, neglecting mutual forbearance and kindness. Prosperity is waning.

We have lost the approbation and favour of the Divine Being.

Unity never meant acquiescence or approval. It never meant doctrinal compromise. It only meant respect and the ability to rally towards common purposes. In the midst of our mutual divisiveness, we have lost major political and moral ground to the atheists and the infidels in this land.

PLEASE PRAY FOR THE TOLERANCE TO SET ASIDE MINOR DIFFERENCES AND RALLY TOWARDS THE MAJOR DETAILS THAT WILL SHAPE OUR FUTURE. America used to be a pleasant and prosperous land that pleased God and met with His approbation. Our myopic focus on small squabbles has caused us to miss the substantial shift away from God Himself.

Matthew 18:20 “For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.”

Undoubtedly, our nation was founded by Christians as a Christian nation. Studies indicate that at the beginning of the Revolutionary War, between 98.4% and 99.8% of Americans were professing Christians (Sacred Fire, p. 29). Wow, what an amazing demographic statistic! Those believers banded together to produce something amazing through God’s power – a new nation under God.

Twenty-first century Christian Americans don’t enjoy the same demographic advantage as our predecessors. Yet, the power of believers has never stemmed from their ability to mobilize and mass. Instead, power in the Christian life has always stemmed from our ability to turn to the One in our midst. We always wield the power of the majority when God is with us. When only a few gather in His name, He will be in our midst.

Should Christians mobilize at such a pivotal time? Yes! Should Christians mass at such a pivotal time? Yes! Yet, Christians should not rely upon any of that. Instead, we should turn to the One in our midst and rely upon Him. PLEASE PRAY FOR GOD’S POWER WHETHER WE ARE A MAJORITY OR A MINORITY. He is unconstrained by polls and demographics, and has promised to be in our midst.

SET YOUR ALARM: If you’re alarmed (that people are being fired for raising safety concerns about gender rules in bathrooms), set your alarm (to pray for our nation)!

Psalm 37:29 “The righteous shall inherit the land, and dwell therein for ever.”

On March 22, 1775, Connecticut’s Governor Jonathan Trumball proclaimed April 19, 1775 as a day of prayer and fasting. His calling included the following:

“God would graciously pour out His Holy Spirit on us to bring us to a thorough repentance and effectual reformation that our iniquities may not be our ruin; that He would restore, preserve and secure the liberties of this and all the other British American colonies, and make the land a mountain of Holiness, and habitation of righteousness forever.”

Indeed, Massachusetts’ neighbor had committed to pray for liberty on the very day that the revolutionary war began. They prayed for a pouring out of God’s Spirit. They prayed for repentance. They prayed for reformation. They prayed for restoration and preservation. They prayed that this would be a land of holiness and righteousness forever.

Today, may we pray for a pouring out of God’s Spirit. May we pray for repentance. May we pray for reformation. May we pray for restoration and preservation. May we pray that this would be a land of holiness and righteousness forever.

PLEASE PRAY FAITHFULLY FOR THIS LAND! This independent nation started out in prayer. May we faithfully return to a legacy of prayer so that we can dwell in a land of righteousness forever.

Hebrews 10:23-24 “Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;) And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works”

I Timothy 4:12 “Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity.”

The first shots of the Revolutionary War were fired by the British on a church lawn in Lexington, Massachusetts on April 19, 1775. The Massachusetts Militia stood their ground on that day facing down 700 British regulars who were enroute to capture supplies and weapons at Concord.

Deacon John Parker boldly led the men to stand their ground under the encouragement of Reverend Jonas Clark whose church lay abeam this first revolutionary battleground. Indeed, these Christian patriots did so boldly. After the confrontation in Lexington on that day, eight colonial men lay dead and ten wounded after the unprovoked British volley of fire. After years of sermons on citizenship and God-given-rights, Clark stated that “I have trained them for this very hour, they would fight, and, if need be, die, too, under the shadow of the house of God!” They did! Reverend Clark went on to say “from this day will be dated the liberty of the world!” Ralph Waldo Emerson’s Concord Hymn echoed these sentiments, declaring the actions at Lexington and Concord as “the shot heard round the world.”

From its beginnings, men and women of faith have had a substantial impact on this nation. They have stood fast without wavering. They have provoked others unto love and good works. They have been an example of the believers in word, conversation, charity, spirit, faith, and purity. They have left us a monumental legacy to follow. May we not shrink from our historical, cultural, and religious duty in twenty-first century America.

PLEASE PRAY THAT AMERICAN CHRISTIANS WOULD BOLDLY HOLD FAST FOR CHRIST IN THIS HOUR. May we be Christian patriots who boldly stand our ground. Though the adversary has taken the first shots of the current battle, may our faithful and bold response be heard round the world.

SET YOUR ALARM: If you’re alarmed (that our constitutional rights are being hijacked to provide cover for a progressive agenda) set your alarm (to pray for our nation)!