The Priority Of Prayer (By Gary Patterson)

 

The Priority Of Prayer (By Gary Patterson) 

 "Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went home. And in his upper room, with the windows open toward Jerusalem, he knelt down on his knees three times that day, and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as was his custom since early days." (Daniel 6:10) 

 In September 2025, President Trump announced that the Department of Education would issue new guidance to protect students' rights to pray in public schools. He made this announcement during a speech at the Museum of the Bible, emphasizing that students should not be punished for expressing their faith. What This Means Legally? Students already had the right to pray voluntarily and privately in schools, as long as it wasn’t disruptive or school-sponsored. The new guidance aims to clarify and reinforce these rights, especially in cases where students felt restricted or penalized for religious expression. It does not overturn the constitutional ban on school-led or mandatory prayer, which was established by Supreme Court decisions in the 1960s. 

 I remember when I attended the little one room school in our township, we said a table grace before we had lunch every school day. You will not see that very often today. To me it shows where are nation is spiritually right now. When this nation was beginning, prayer had a very significant place in the schools. But in the 249 years, we as a nation have gradually drifted away from the Christian values and practices that played a significant role in the development of our American culture. 

 I have heard these words in our current time: "When prayer went out, the guns came in!" And there is much truth is in those words? 

 In our text, we find that Daniel carried on his customary activity of prayer voluntarily and privately, in spite of what the government decided. Daniel did what students have the right to do today. The primary concerns or perceived "threats" today, concerning prayer in public schools, center around constitutional, social, and educational implications. 

 

But even though, we face those restrictions, we must see how important prayer is, as we take those private times, or at those times when students have meet around a flag pole to pray, or at baccalaureate services, where the students have a moment to pray together as a class. 

 When we communicate with God our praise, and petitions, we open the door for God to work in our lives, and in our communities. I am thankful for the president in making prayer a priority again. But until we do this as a nation, we should encourage our students, as well as all Americans to take advantage of those private times, to do as the apostle Paul encourage us to do in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-17 "Rejoice always, Pray without ceasing." GP