Prayer in the Jury Box?

We have access to the wisdom of the Creator of the Universe and the Word Who became flesh. Jesus Christ, by His Spirit, will lead us to discover more about His truth, so that we can walk in it. 1st 
Corinthians 1 says:
19 For it is written: "I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, And bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent."
20 Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?
21 For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe.

In our decision-making, we can choose to follow the wisdom of this world, which is fallible and contrasts with the superior wisdom of God.  He made the world and knows how it works; He created humanity, therefore He is sufficient to guide us in matters of human relationships. When we are confronted with difficult situations, it is important that we are knowledgeable about God's Word and reliant on the Holy Spirit to direct us.

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God desires for us to be wise - not in the ways of the world, but in Him. James 1 tells us:
5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.
6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind.
7 For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord;
8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

With the confirmation hearings set to begin soon regarding a newly-nominated candidate for the U.S. Supreme Court, we can be in prayer for direction for our lawmakers and protection for the nominee, Amy Coney Barrett.  We can certainly be in prayer for the high court as it readies for its fall term coming up soon. 

We would hope that judges would rule fairly and according to the law, reflected in the Constitution, a document that I believe was inspired by God and provides sound, moral principles for how to live in an ordered society.  And, when we interact with the legal system, it is important that justice is the outcome.

With that in mind, consider the case of a former member of Congress, Corinne Brown.  According to ChristianHeadlines.com, Brown was convicted in 2017 on 18 counts of conspiracy, mail and wire fraud and tax charges." But, she appealed her conviction because she believed that a juror was "improperly dismissed," according to the article. Why? Apparently, Juror Number 13 "said he received guidance from the Holy Spirit on the case."

The article, from last week, stated, "A three-judge panel of the 11th Circuit in January this year upheld her conviction in a 2-1 decision, but on Thursday the full 11th Circuit vacated that ruling and agreed to hear her case. Eleven judges serve on the court."

According to the article:

The juror told his fellow jurors he believed the “Holy Spirit told me” Brown was not guilty, according to court records. The district judge ruled the juror must be dismissed because he is “injecting religious beliefs that are inconsistent with the instructions of the court, that this case be decided solely on the law as the court gave it to the jury and the evidence in the case.”

First Liberty has now joined Brown's defense team; Lea Patterson from the organization said, "How is it possible that we demand a juror take an oath invoking God’s aid in rendering a verdict but then dismiss that same juror for taking that oath seriously? If this decision stands millions of Americans are disqualified from fulfilling their civic duty as jurors simply because they believe that God answers prayer.”

The "one" in the 2-1 decision at the Appeals Court level came from former Alabama Attorney General William Pryor, who wrote in his dissent, “the notion that religion poses a unique problem in the context of juror-misconduct investigations is unfounded.”  He referenced the words of Jesus in Matthew chapter 7 and made reference to the book, Systematic Theology, by Wayne Grudem, and noted "...every prayer implies a hope that the prayer be answered..."

Let's be honest: Our Biblical beliefs should inform every decision that we make.  If we're called to be a judge, the Spirit of God can enable us to be the most fair, most just judge that we can be, realizing that we are accountable to the highest Judge.  But, most of us are not called to that position - but we can still recognize that we are representatives of Christ and we should approach our decisions from a Christian worldview perspective.

And, we don't go it alone.  We have the Holy Spirit, who goes with us to lead us into, as Scripture says, "all truth."  He is the One who directs us, who brings God's Word to remembrance and provides us with a barometer of right and wrong, good and evil - if we would only listen.  As it's been said, the Holy Spirit will activate our conscience.

Finally, we can consider the expectation of answered prayer. The Bible tells us that if we lack wisdom, we can ask of God, the source of true wisdom. So, we can confidently seek God and expect Him to act according to His will - He provides the wisdom that we need to make good decisions.