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Remember when we took the Bible and prayer out of our schools and people asked, “What will happen?” Now we know…

It started in our colleges and universities when students went on a rampage, rioting and burning buildings if someone they didn’t want to hear was scheduled to speak on campus. And if, by chance, the speaker was able to speak; the students shouted so that neither they, nor anyone else, could hear what the speaker was saying.

Our young people have taken to the streets to riot and set fire to cars and burn down buildings in our cities. They’re running wild and destroying monuments and attacking anyone who won’t agree with them and join them. It’s a crisis of leadership and authority!

“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” (Matthew 6:33)

I saw a picture once of a simple circle with all the things in our lives noted around the circle in a random order. Then someone put a cross in the middle of the circle and all the things in our lives fell into order around the edges of the circle. If we put Jesus at the center of our lives, everything else falls into order around that center.

But without anything at the center of our lives, there is only chaos as all the things in our lives battle it out for control of our lives. And if everyone is controlled by something different at the center of their lives, then there is disunity and prejudice and hatred and separation and protests and rioting and burning and killing and on and on… until we destroy ourselves.

Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” (Matthew 28:18-19)

So what happens when we take the Bible and prayer out of our schools (and our lives); the national media would have you believe that everything I’ve talked about happens to many, if not most, of our young people. But I don’t think it’s true; Bible and prayer simply moved into our homes. When there is a picture from above, it turns out the riots are relatively small, meaning most of our young people are like the three young men in one of my little rural churches… well-raised by good parents, well-behaved, well-mannered, and the sons any parent would be proud to call their own. So pray with me for the vast majority of young people who do what is good and right in spite of all the chaos.