Praying Silently

             A lady in England has been arrested twice for praying silently in a “buffer zone” outside an abortion clinic.  She didn’t carry signs or attempt to speak to people going inside.  She didn’t even pray out loud.  She simply stood quietly and silently petitioned the God of the Universe to stop the evil that was going on inside the clinic.  She prayed for changed hearts and changed lives, and that babies would be spared the death that awaited them there.

            It wasn’t a crime to stand in the “buffer zone”.  She was only arrested when she admitted to the police officer that she had been praying.  While she was ultimately released and received an apology from the police department, think about the potential repercussions of her arrest.  She wasn’t charged with starting a riot or harassing people or even trying to convert people.  She was charged with “thinking” as a way of communing with her God.

            We’ve probably all seen science fiction movies with “thought police” that try to read peoples’ thoughts and stop them before they act.  This wasn’t a movie.  These “thought police” were very real, attempting to keep this woman from praying.

            As we watch the world spin out of control, this is one more attempt by Satan to keep us from our relationship with our Savior. In Daniel 6, Daniel faced a similar attack.  King Darius issued a decree forbidding anyone from praying to anyone except himself for the next 30 days.  Daniel was fully aware of the decree and the potential consequences, but he continued to open his windows, and in full view of everyone, get down on his knees and pray “just as he had done before” (Daniel 6: 10 NIV84).  As a result, he spent the night in the lions’ den, but God closed the mouths of the lions, and he was saved.  Daniel didn’t know in advance that God would intervene.  He did know the penalty because it was spelled out in the decree.  Still, he stood firm in his convictions, trusting God no matter the outcome. 

            Just like Daniel who continued to pray, knowing the consequences, this woman intends to continue her silent prayers, knowing she may be arrested again.  Every day, Christians around the world are arrested, with many experiencing their own kind of “lions’ den”.  We can’t stand silently by.  We must stand by our convictions and continue to serve Christ, no matter the costs. Now is the time to be bold in our witness, regardless of the consequences.  A lost world is depending on us!

Daniel 6: 10

I Corinthians 16: 13

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