Free to Speak - and Pray

In Psalm 33, we read about the preeminence of God, and the state of the nation which collectively
regards the Lord:
10 The Lord brings the counsel of the nations to nothing; He makes the plans of the peoples of no effect.
11 The counsel of the Lord stands forever, The plans of His heart to all generations.
12 Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, The people He has chosen as His own inheritance.

Across America, there is a heightened emphasis on prayer today - it is the National Day of Prayer, and we have to be convinced that prayer - passionate, directed, and sustained - can affect an individual, a small group of people, a large group, and even a nation!   If we are convinced that our God is supreme, then we can confidently call on Him, with humble hearts, and anticipate what He will do as He changes hearts and minds and operates according to His plan.

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In 1st Peter 2, God's Word reminds us that we, as ambassadors for Christ, are called to honorable conduct.  We are also called to obey the authorities, who are established by God.  And, the Bible is
clear with respect to the proper role of government:
13 Therefore submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake, whether to the king as supreme,
14 or to governors, as to those who are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and for the praise of those who do good.

This is the National Day of Prayer, a time when you see civic, community, and church leaders gather at churches, courthouses, and state capitals to pray for different aspects relative to our nation.

Even civic officials commemorate this day by exercising their free speech and religious freedom rights.

This year, in light of President Trump's action on religious freedom, the National Day of Prayer has a heightened significance.

There is a new survey out, conducted by The Fund for American Studies, that shows an overwhelming number of adults 18-34 years of age support the concepts of free speech and religious freedom.  A summary of the poll states:

• 93% of millennials support religious freedom
• 92% of millennials support free speech

Roger Ream, President of the organization, stated, “The media keeps showing us images of violent protests on college campuses, young Americans being angry and disruptive, but the truth is that millennials support religious and social freedoms more than non-millennials,” adding, "There’s a vast, silent majority of millennials who embrace these freedoms and those are the young men and women we are seeing in our programs.”

What is the TFAS? According to its website, "The Fund for American Studies (TFAS) was founded in 1967 to help instill in young people an appreciation for the American form of government and the free-enterprise system."

The survey also explored the role of government in ensuring those freedoms, and the summary states, "Millennials (ages 18-34) represent the best indication of how the next generation views freedom and the implication for future public policy. They predominantly believe that “more government” is necessary to protect freedoms. But they also believe the government should be safeguarding freedom more so than guaranteeing security."

Regarding views on liberty vs. security broken down by party, the findings show that Republicans support security over liberty by a 57 to 43% margin.  Democrats are somewhat the reverse, favoring liberty over security, 64-36.  Independents support security over liberty - 60-40%.  The summary goes on to say:

Additionally, further distinctions at the ideological level within the Republican party were found. When asked to choose between individual liberty and concerns about security, conservatives split evenly between their support for liberty (51%) and security (49%). Republicans fall more in the camp of “more government” that ensures national security. Conservatives fall primarily in the camp of “less government” that promotes liberty.

There are several findings that are striking here: for one thing, there is an expectation for government to keep us safe.  We are in a troubled world today, and someone might conclude that people would be willing to surrender their freedoms in order to have security.  I think there is a balance, but security is a highly important consideration.

Biblically speaking, I believe that the government's role is to preserve order and to punish evil. There are those elements in the security-liberty debate; which can be a source of tension.  Today is a day in which the U.S. House attempted to roll back its overreach, from this perspective, when it decided to exercise what many regard as the excessive control of the nation's health care system.  It just doesn't fall in either of those two responsibilities according to the definition I shared earlier.

Part of an orderly society, I believe, is a strong faith component.  This nation was founded on those Judeo-Christian principles, on a belief in Almighty God.  When we depart from these concepts, we lose our moorings, and there is a diminished sense of morality, which keeps us in check. Anarchy can become a logical result of the lack of a Biblical foundation.  So, on this National Day of Prayer, we are reminded of our roots and our liberties, and can be refreshed in our beliefs that our leaders should respect and uphold our rights to pray, to speak freely in accordance to our faith, and to have a sense of expectation of how God will show Himself in our land.