God and Government - Part 1

I wasn’t sure what to expect, but something within me drew me and motivated me to attend this event. It was quite spontaneous, and I knew of no other ministerial friends that were going. But when I got the e-mail invite to attend the Kentucky “Call to Prayer” Day in our state’s capital, I just had to RSVP and go. I invited our youth pastor Jon Burdette, and on Tuesday morning, January 10, 2012, we loaded up my little green civic and headed to Frankfort. We were going to get there an hour early for what was called a “pre-event” for pastors and other citizens. As I pulled close to the round-about near the Capitol and found a quick easy parking spot, I was wondering if maybe we were one of the few attending. After a lovely encounter with the greeter at the door and the hilarious security man, we found ourselves in the famous rotunda of the Capitol building. The pre-event was nice, with some refreshments, a video presentation, and introductory remarks about what was about to take place. But once the clock struck 12 noon, the main event began. It was awesome! State legislators took to the podium and shared a little about their faith and about how excited they were to launch this Kentucky Legislative Prayer Caucus. It is only the 5th state caucus to launch in the nation, formed after the national version of it that was founded by Randy Forbes in Washington. As the speeches were delivered and as many of our state legislators signed the “Call to Prayer Proclamation,” it was as if an old-fashioned revival service had taken place. Throughout the event, there was applause and amens. At one point, a lady even whipped out a shofar (an Old Testament ram’s horn) and blew it right there inside the rotunda. Awesome stuff. One of the statements that was made by Senate President Williams that elicited one of the loudest ovations was, “There is no mention in our constitution of the separation between church and state.” I had heard that before. Probably even preached it. But it was great to hear one of our very own government leaders say it. Another cool moment came near the end of the event when someone read the actual “Call to Prayer Proclamation” document: Throughout the history of the United States, its citizens have drawn strength, hope, and guidance by prayer and humble petition before a loving and merciful Creator—imploring him to watch over this nation, its leaders, and her people. The faith-based principles that established America, including the first amendment to the constitution, guarantee the freedom of religion and its expression. The moral and solemn responsibility of those elected to public office, draws many servants who believe in the power of prayer—to seek humility in governance, wisdom in decision-making, courage in times of testing, and providence for God’s favor and blessing. On May 24, 1774, when facing enormous challenges, caucus members from the Virginia House of Burgesses passed a resolution setting apart a day of “fasting, humiliation, and prayer.” in early 2005, a small group from the U.S. House of Representatives began meeting in room 219 of the United States Capitol to pray for our nation. The gravity of this meeting was derived from the humble and sincere belief that God could heal and restore America. Soon thereafter, these members formed the Congressional Prayer Caucus to vigilantly watch over and protect the right of individuals to pray. We stand at the threshold of another significant crossroad: either to acknowledge and embrace the vibrant character of our spiritual heritage or to plunge headlong into the postmodern void—a value neutral and amoral vacuum that endeavors to deconstruct much of what we hold sacred. Centuries ago, the Bible records in 2 Chronicles 7:14 that God told King Solomon: “If my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” With clear vision and the recent re-affirmation of “in God we trust” as our national motto, it becomes more evident how important prayer is to this country and to Kentuckians. The preamble of the state constitution humbly asserts, “We, the people of the Commonwealth of Kentucky, grateful to Almighty God for the civil, political and religious liberties we enjoy, and invoking the continuance of these blessings, do ordain and establish this constitution.” The patriotism of the Commonwealth’s first governor, Isaac Shelby, helped inspire the state motto, “United we stand, divided we fall.” Furthermore, the official Latin commonwealth motto, adopted in 2002, affirms, “deo gratiam habeamus” (let us be grateful to God). We, the undersigned believe in prayer and the Judeo-Christian principles that remind us that our rights come from Almighty God, unite in this proclamation. Accordingly, this day we respectfully and humbly issue a “call to prayer” for the Commonwealth of Kentucky and invite Kentuckians everywhere to pray that God will continue to bless this country, our noble state and the freedom for which they stand. The really cool moment came when the man got to the Bible verse, 2 Chronicles 7:14. As he read it, gradually, most everyone in the rotunda, including legislators, began to say the Bible verse aloud as well. It was spontaneous. No one asked the crowd to do this. I tell ya, it was as if the Holy Spirit’s presence truly invaded the rotunda of the Capitol that day. And fellow citizens, that is as it should be. There are some things about that concept “separation of church and state” that may actually be good (which I’ll write about next week), but our founding fathers and most importantly, God, who has established and richly blessed our great nation, NEVER meant for us to not involve Him and His all-knowing wisdom and ways from the governing of our country. So let’s answer the call! Humble yourself. Pray. Seek His face. Turn from your sin. And God promises that He will hear our prayers. He will forgive us. And He will heal our land. Our nation’s present and future depends on Him. Will you answer the call to make that happen?