The Jews answered him, “We have a law, and according to our law He ought to die, because He made Himself the Son of God.” Therefore, when Pilate heard that saying, he was the more afraid, and went again into the Praetorium, and said to Jesus, “Where are You from?” But Jesus gave him no answer. Then Pilate said to Him, “Are You not speaking to me? Do You not know that I have power to crucify You, and power to release You?” Jesus answered, “You could have no power at all against Me unless it had been given you from above. Therefore the one who delivered Me to you has the greater sin.” —John 19:7–11
Though I am a firm and passionate believer in Christians’ involvement in the realm of human government, especially in a democracy where the opportunity is open to them, I find the arrogance of some people in governmental positions amusing. As I said, I believe we ought to be involved governmentally to the fullest capacity, but Jesus here reminds us of a great truth in the face of great pomposity.
Pilate laid claim to possessing legislative power that could determine whether Jesus lived or died. In response, Jesus said to Pilate, and I am paraphrasing, “You’re just a pawn in the hand of My Father, and you can’t do anything He has not allowed.”
Friends, I am all for standing up for our rights and fighting within the system to keep us one nation under God, but I also believe, regardless of what government may do, God cannot be legislated out of people’s hearts and minds. As I have long said, as long as there are tests, there will be prayer in the schools. Yes, I believe the decline of our school system can be traced back to when prayer was banned from the public schools, but the fact is, friends, I think we would do well to remember that our power is in prayer—not in the right to pray.
No power is granted to anyone unless God Himself allows it, and like Jesus, we don’t always have to answer every ridiculous allegation from the world. But when the world starts saying it has the power to do thus and so above the will of almighty God, then it’s time to take a stand. You can take prayer out of the schools, but you can’t take prayer out of God’s people!
Pray in school, pray at work, pray all the time and everywhere; no one can take away your right to pray. Your power is in prayer, not in the government’s legislating your right to do so. We would all do better to pray for our schools and in our schools than to protest something that cannot be legislated out of our lives anyway!
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