“We have the right!” That is the rallying cry of protesters in this country. And, they are absolutely right. This is the United States of America. We have rights. Over the weekend I saw a video of American children whacking away at a piñata, seeking to break it open so that they could get to the candy inside. The piñata was made to look like the president of the United States. The parents of the children stood around shooting video and laughing and cheering on their little ones as they taught the lesson of disrespect. But, they have that right. A FedEx driver heroically shoulders his way into the middle of a protest to save an American flag from being burned. It is on video. The burning of the flag used to be illegal except in controlled circumstances where the purpose was to dispose of a tattered and worn flag, but that must have changed for it is done often now with no repercussions. But, regardless, the protest and disrespect to the flag was legal. They have that right. We have rights until they impinge on the rights of others. Of course, even that has gone by the wayside.

          “We have the right!” Even when the rights that we have were paid for by those who sacrificed their rights to military service and, in many cases, who sacrificed their very lives. Yes, we have rights. Rights guaranteed in the Constitution of the United States of America, even the right to disrespect that same Constitution. We have the right to act foolish. We have the right to disrespect. We have the right to protest the government even while we cower behind that government demanding safety and aid when trials come.

          “We have the right!” Because we have the right, all this was inevitable. When you don’t have to pay for something yourself, you will misuse it. But, it is more than just that, too. Where we are now has its roots in the past. Where we are now goes back to a time when parades in small towns on Memorial Day were exciting and the people lining the streets brought their hands up to cover their hearts as the flag went by. A time when old soldiers would wear whatever portion of their uniform that still fit and would come to attention to salute the flag they had proudly served. A time when ‘protest’ was done in a voting booth. The ugliness of today goes back to a simpler, calmer time that we find ourselves longing for. A time when abortion was illegal and a time when there was prayer in school and a time when children were required to say the Pledge every morning, yet it didn’t seem like it was required. A time, it seems, that we can never return to now.

          “We have the right!” All of this goes back to a time when we began to exercise a basic right. A right that predates the country, a right that goes back to the very beginning of mankind. Somewhere along the way we began to exercise the right to not pray. God has never stood over us and demanded we pray to Him. When mankind has abandoned prayer, society has begun to decay. Despite what is taught in our schools now, this country was founded by people coming here, at least in part, to be able to worship in Spirit and in truth. People prayed for safety and protection, people prayed for one another, people prayed forvision, people prayed for grace. Many will talk about the displacement of the native people as a way to condemn those early settlers, but they didn’t come here to displace or exploit. They came here to live freely and exercise their faith. They shared their faith with those already here, and they were mostly turned down. They still sought to live in peace. The people on this land have always prayed. Our people have always reached out to God. We have been a good people, rising to help those who couldn’t help themselves, standing in the gap to protect others. And all the while, taking the Good News to the world through the finest mission work ever.

          “We have the right!” Yes, we do have the right. We have the right to abandon the very One who established us. We have the right to ignore the very Book that would create in us a sense of decency and moral courage. We have the right to neglect the simplest of obligations, that being prayer. These rights were given to us by the Father Himself. We have always had free will, we could always choose. Like any choice, we either make the right choice or the wrong choice. And we, as a people, have chosen to make God and His Word and our communication with Him a ceremonial event for Sundays and special occasions. We have chosen wrong.

          2 Chronicles 7:12-15---Then the LORD appeared to Solomon in the night and said to him: "I have heard your prayer and have chosen this place for myself as a house of sacrifice. When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command the locust to devour the land, or send pestilence among my people, if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land. Why have we turned our backs on being humble before the Lord? Why have we turned our backs on praying to Him and seeking Him out? Why have we turned our backs on righteous living and instead chosen evil? If we turn back He will heal our land! WHY HAVE WE TURNED AWAY? We have the right.