Many Christians bemoan the fact that prayer is no longer allowed in public schools. Some are also wondering if prayer will ever be welcomed back into public education.
According to CharismaNews.com, the Rev. Billy Graham recently responded to this question on the Question and Answers section of his website.
"Do you think we'll ever get back to the days when they allowed prayer in our public schools?" one reader wrote in. "When I was young, we used to pray and read the Bible in school every day, but my grandchildren aren't able to experience this, and it upsets me a great deal."
"I know this is a complicated political and legal issue, and I have no way of knowing if we will ever return to the patterns of the past. Unfortunately, the general trend in our society is certainly away from God and against any public expressions of faith,” Graham began.
“I hope you will keep several things in mind, however,” he continued. “First, no one can banish God from our hearts. If we truly know Christ, we know we can turn to Him in silent prayer no matter where we are. Do you remember Nehemiah in the Old Testament? He was an official in the palace of the pagan king of Persia, but when God gave him an opportunity to speak to the king on behalf of the Jewish people, Nehemiah prayed silently and then spoke: ‘I prayed to the God of heaven, and I answered the king’ (Neh. 2:4-5).”
Secondly, Graham reminded the reader that the family can still have a great impact on a child’s faith, even if schools and other institutions have tried to leave God out.
“Finally,” concluded Graham, “we need to remember to pray for our country. The issue you mention here is only one sign of our nation's increasing drift from God. Pray for our nation and its leaders every day. The Bible says, ‘Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord’ (Ps. 33:12).”
Publication date: August 19, 2016