Dare To Be Daniel

To paraphrase Hamlets most famous soliloquy, “To pray or not to pray, that is the question.” Prayer is possibly the single most important duty a Christian can do. Everything done by a Christian must begin with prayer. Prayer is a powerful tool. The best way to halt a believer is to halt their prayer.
Many years ago, Daniel was a prophet. He was a wise and powerful man. No evil thought or deed was found in him. He was so full of godly wisdom that the king sought his counsel almost daily. This infuriated all the other administrators. They were so upset that they sought to have him removed. Yet, because they could not find any corruption in him, they had to fine a different way to have him deposed. They sought to halt his praying.
The administrators created a law that for thirty days the only prayers that could be offered up, must be offered to the king. The punishment was not going to be a small or even a large fine. It was not going to be community service or jail time. The punishment was to be death by den of lions.
When Daniel heard this law, did he say, “That’s the law, I guess I will stop praying to God for thirty days. I must obey the law or else I will die.” No. Daniel understood that you must obey God and not man. The Bible states, “But when Daniel learned that the law had been signed, he went home and knelt down as usual in his upstairs room, with its windows open toward Jerusalem. He prayed three times a day, just as he had always done, giving thanks to his God. ” (Daniel 6:10 NLT) Daniel did not stop praying, he continued to pray as he had always done.
Long story shortened. The administrators caught him and threw him to the lions. Because of his dedication, God delivered Daniel.
Thursday May 6th is the National Day of Prayer and there are people that want to end this day of prayer. They claim that the Constitution explicitly forbids the government from recognizing any form of religious service, which includes prayer.
Setting aside a day of prayer goes as far back in history as our own nations founding. The Constitution was ratified on September 17, 1787. Two years later, in September 1789, Congress asked President George Washington to “recommend to the people of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer to be observed by acknowledging, with grateful hearts, the many signal favors of Almighty God, especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a Constitution of government for their safety and happiness.” This Congress would understand and know what the Constitution would allow and forbid. They were the ones who established it. While this act did not establish the National Day of Prayer, it did establish another holiday. “A day of public thanksgiving and prayer . . . of Almighty God.” This act set the foundation for the establishment of Thanksgiving as a national holiday. A day to give thanks and to offer prayer to Almighty God. The first Congress established a day for prayer, thus a National Day of Prayer can not be unconstitutional.
John Adams was always calling for a National Day of Prayer. Thomas Jefferson also followed suit. James Madison (who was one of the primary writers of the Constitution and was the principle author of the Bill of Rights (the first 10 amendments)) many times called the nation to pray to the Almighty God. He helped sponsor the aforementioned Congressional summons to Washington. Do you think he would know what the Constitution would allow and disallow? What about other Presidents?
On March 30, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln issued a proclamation that designated the day of April 30, 1863 as a day of "national humiliation, fasting and prayer.”
On April 17, 1952, President Harry S Truman signed a bill proclaiming a National Day of Prayer must be declared by each following president at an appropriate date of his choice. In 1982 a National Prayer Committee formed to coordinate and implement a fixed commemorated day of prayer. In 1988, the law was amended so that the National Day of Prayer would be held on the first Thursday of May.
Will Christians sit idly by while people try to strip government from establishing a day for prayer? Or will Christians be like Daniel and defy those who would want to strip away prayer. Dare to be Daniel.