Remember the three Christians who prayed aloud in the name of Jesus when the U.S. Senate opened with a Hindu prayer on July 12, 2007? Although their Christian prayers were consistent with the history of prayer in Congress, Ante and Katherine Pavkovic and their daughter Christan were arrested for praying to the one true God and charged with disruption of Senate proceedings.

When the Pavkovics were ordered to appear in D.C. Superior Court Sept. 11, a legal team from the Foundation for Moral Law represented them at their request. Although they faced possible incarceration and a fine, the Pavkovics never feared the outcome nor wavered in their faith. Like the three Hebrew men who were cast into a fiery furnace by powerful King Nebuchadnezzar for refusing to bow to a golden idol, the Pavkovics never hesitated to do the right thing. Their resolve is reflected in the words of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego to King Nebuchadnezzar:

If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up. (Daniel 3:17-18)

Most of us are familiar with that story of the burning fiery furnace and how the three men were saved when a fourth "man" who Nebuchadnezzar described as "like the Son of God" appeared in the flames (Daniel 3:25). As an old preacher once put it, "They didn't bow, they didn't bend, and they didn't burn!" God had honored their faithful stand.

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Neither did God forsake the Pavkovics. When their case was called on Sept. 11, the prosecutor agreed to dismiss all the charges against them. Their simple trust in God's grace had touched the hearts of not only the arresting officers – who commented on what a nice family they were – but also the tough government attorneys in the Washington, D.C., justice system. Unfortunately, to this day, the number of U.S. senators and representatives that have spoken up in their defense remains at zero.

Judge Moore and the Pavkovics.

Even without considering the consistent ethics violations and sex scandals of today's Capitol Hill, Congress in 2007 seems a far cry from the Congress of 230 years ago. On Sept. 11, 1777, the Continental Congress, in the midst of a war for independence, issued an order to the Committee of Commerce to import 20,000 copies of the Bible. The order was necessary because, in the words of that Congress, "the use of the Bible is so universal, and its importance so great." Our Congress has always recognized our dependence on the God of the Bible in times of distress, even as recently as Sept. 11, 2001.

The bold actions of the Pavkovic family may serve to remind our esteemed representatives of something they have evidently forgotten: that there is only one true God and, unless our national motto is in vain, it is "in God" that we and our forefathers have always trusted.

When a nation embraces apostasy by rejecting God or embracing a false religion like Hinduism or Islam, it is God who renders judgment. However, it is also true that God intervenes on behalf of those who maintain the faith, and He will often turn idolatrous leadership back to Him.

King Nebuchadnezzar was so amazed by God's intervention on behalf of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego he publicly declared that "every people, nation and language" should honor their God and not "speak anything amiss" against Him (Daniel 3:29). Likewise, King Darius some years later was equally moved when faithful Daniel was delivered from what appeared to be certain death in the lions' den. Darius decreed that men should "tremble and fear before the God of Daniel: for he is the living God, and steadfast for ever, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed, and his dominion shall be even unto the end" (Daniel 6:26).

The story of Ante, Katherine and Christan is not over. Their example of faith, courage and trust in God will serve as an example to others of the truth that God honors those who honor Him. Even King Nebuchadnezzar recognized that God had "delivered his servants that trusted in him ... that they might not serve nor worship any god, except their own God" (Daniel 3:28). Like the Hebrews in pagan Babylon, the faith of these three will be used for His glory. The Pavkovics have defended our heritage of honoring God and given us hope for tomorrow.

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