Its Time for Nicola Sturgeon to Call A National Day of Prayer

This was published in the Scotsman today – you can read the original Here

The Headline was somewhat bizarrely – “When Jesus Christ was conscripted for the War Effort” – which was not what I was saying….Here is the complete text of what I originally wrote…

It’s Time for Nicola Sturgeon to Call a National Day of Prayer

 In May 1940 Britain faced the greatest threat to its existence that it had ever faced. Alone against a German army which had swept all before it, it seemed  almost inevitable that Britain would have to surrender or be invaded. And so the King called for a national day of prayer which occurred on the 26^th of May. In the next five years there would be another six national days of prayer – well supported by all classes and in all areas of the country.

The Pathe news commentary of the time is instructive; “it is well for us to show the world that we still believe in divine guidance, in the laws of Christianity. May we find inspiration and faith from this solemn day”. Ps 124 was sung in churches throughout the land: “Our help is in the name of the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth”.

 

Can you imagine the same happening today?   After all we are arguably facing the greatest crisis since the Second World War.   Uncertainty in and about Europe, a coming global economic crisis, a bitterly divided USA and constant strife and uncertainty within the UK.   Why not have a national day of prayer?     I can already hear the scorn, mockery and abuse that will flow on various ‘secularist’ social media sites!   After all we have changed, we don’t believe in invisible ‘sky fairies’, we are multi-faith, we are a grown up mature society, we are no longer a Christian country, we are secular.   What kind of extremist idiot would be calling for such a nonsensical thing?!
President Obama for one. The President of the USA called for a National Day of Prayer to be held in the US, a constitutionally secular country, on the first Thursday in May every year.   The UK parliament still begins with prayer every single day it sits and although the Scottish parliament does not do so, there are groups who regularly prayer with and for our politicians.

 Who is Sovereign?

There is another reason for this. The whole question of sovereignty, which has once again come to the fore.   We used to be told by our politicians in Scotland that sovereignty lay with the Scottish people. Government by the people, for the people.   There were those who argued that in a UK sense sovereignty lay not with the sovereign Queen but in the representative parliament of Westminster.   One of the reasons for the Brexit vote, indeed the number one reason according to research, was the fear that the sovereignty of Parliament and of the people was being taken away by the European parliaments and courts. In a delicious ironic twist when the English High Court ruled that parliament should determine when Brexit should begin, those who argued for parliamentary sovereignty complained, whilst those who want to hand parliamentary sovereignty over to Europe rejoiced! And to make it even more complicated those who previously complained about unelected Lords and the interference of Supreme Court judges are now relying on them.   The whole situation is a mess.

But who has the sovereignty? Is it the people? (And who are they and how would we know?); Parliament? the Queen?; the House of Lords? The Supreme Court? The European Court? What if the answer is none of them?

The old British (unwritten) constitution understood that any sovereignty of King, parliament or courts was a delegated authority. The only supreme sovereign was God. It was recognized that any attempt to usurp the authority of God would result in tyranny.   This did not mean that the British state was a theocracy – indeed it prevented the state from becoming that. The state, even its highest officials, were always servants, who swore by a higher authority.   In other words there was recognition that there was a supreme and ultimate authority.

Of course there are those who dispute that. But what is their workable alternative? What are they going to replace the traditional Christian constitution of the UK with? An Absolute Supreme Court filled with unelected elitist judges who not only interpret the law but also in effect make it? An autocracy where the ‘right sort of people, with the right sort of opinions’ govern the rest of us plebes? Or, as our American cousins would put it, one nation under God?

It is because God is sovereign that we need to plead with him. That is why we need a day of prayer. Vaclav Havel, the first president of the Czech Republic concluded about his own country- “Pursuit of the good life will not help humanity save itself, nor is democracy alone enough. A turning to and seeking of God, is needed.”

I accept that in todays Scotland it is unlikely that Nicola Sturgeon or the Scottish Parliament will call for a day of prayer.  This year the Free Church was joined by other Christians to hold St Andrews Day as a national Day of Prayer. Perhaps next year they will be joined by others – including politicians?

Some want to argue what good would it do? To which the response is, what harm could it do? No-one is being compelled to pray. As the May 26^th National Day of Prayer was taking place, 355,000 British troops were trapped in Dunkirk. After the day of prayer Hitler ordered the tanks to be stopped and the ‘miracle’ of Dunkirk occurred. Coincidence?   We could do with a lot more ‘coincidences’ like that in Scotland today. Try praying….

 

David Robertson

Solas CPC

7^th November 2016