Religious liberty is vital to the survival and flourishing of America. Our Founders knew this, and so must we.

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Today, let’s intercede specifically for those in positions of authority in our land. Just as they are responsible for honoring God’s gift of life, so are they duty-bound to defend every person’s God-given right to liberty—especially the freedom to worship and walk in the ways of the Lord.

What does this mean in practice? Well, let’s take a look at some recent examples of government leaders getting it right.

The first is a correction of a blatant wrong. Joe Kennedy, a high school football coach, tried to honor Jesus with quiet prayers of gratitude at the 50-yard line after football games. But authorities at his local school district didn’t like that, so they terminated his job. Thankfully, though—after years of litigation—the U.S. Supreme Court came down against this discrimination and paved the way for the coach to take to the field once again.

Writing for the court, Justice Neil Gorsuch observed: “Respect for religious expressions is indispensable to life in a free and diverse Republic.”

Thankfully, we have been able to celebrate a string of court victories for people of faith like coach Kennedy in recent years. A postal worker punished for honoring the Sabbath; an Atlanta fire chief fired for his belief in marriage; faith-based foster providers squashed by authorities in Philadelphia; a pregnancy-care-center group that California demanded promote abortion; a web designer and cakemaker who didn’t want to use her artistic gifts to promote same-sex unions — these and more found redress in the halls of justice.

And we see here that government leaders can do right just by respecting faith. But they can also be proactive. They can prioritize religious freedom in their day-to-day work.

One good example of this is found in an executive order President Donald Trump issued in 2020 that focused on the international arena. That directive made clear that religious freedom is a foreign-policy priority—one our nation would “vigorously promote.”

And this wasn’t just words: The order took the important step of putting real money where our nation’s mouth is, through foreign aid and diplomacy efforts.

Leaders who will protect and vigorously promote our first freedom—we need these leaders today.

PRAY

Pray over the opening words of the First Amendment in the Bill of Rights: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.” Pray that everyone serving in the legislative, executive, and judicial branches of government will honor those words.

Seek to find out which lawmakers in your community and in our nation go beyond paying mere lip service to religious liberty by putting the money they oversee where their mouth is. Ask God to bless and empower those lawmakers and to raise up many others just like them.

Let’s thank God for so many victories for faith and freedom in recent years, and let’s pray specifically for the justices of the U.S. Supreme Court, that they would continue to make rulings like the one in coach Kennedy’s case. Also let us request that someday they might run out of such cases on the court docket because government leaders have become so good about honoring liberty!

ENGAGE

Call your town, city, or county representative and ask them how they will actively promote respect for religious freedom in your community.

Add your prayers for religious freedom in the comments below.

This is an excerpt from We Declare: 31 Days of Intercession for America (PrayerShop Publishing 2024).  This post is adapted from Day 6. This devotional book is perfect for individuals or groups. Special pricing is available for bulk purchases — contact Prayer Shop Publishing. Photo Credit: Harold Mendoza on Unsplash.