Shortly after Election Day, I released an open letter to President-elect Barack Obama in which I told the new president that I would pray for him, his family and his administration, noting that I would pray that God would bless him with “safety, health and all spiritual blessings.”
Shortly after Election Day, I released an open letter to President-elect Barack Obama in which I told the new president that I would pray for him, his family and his administration, noting that I would pray that God would bless him with “safety, health and all spiritual blessings.”
What prompted my promise to pray for the president-elect? The Scriptures are clear: While as a Christian I am a citizen of both the earthly and spiritual realms, I am under the authority of the civil magistrate (Luke 20:25).
I am compelled to be a good citizen of the state “for conscience sake” (Romans 13:1-7).
In the Apostle Paul’s first letter to Timothy, Paul wrote that the first priority in our fulfillment of our civic duties is to pray. We are to remember everyone, including all those in authority over us, with “petitions, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings.” Paul sought to underscore the fact that proper conduct within the body of Christ includes praying for and respecting those in power as a primary spiritual civic duty.
Remember, the New Testament churches existed in occupied lands, under the watchful eyes of Jewish religious leaders in some areas, and everywhere under the steady and hostile glare of the Roman government leaders and their local lackeys, who were decidedly negative about any worship that didn’t involve their gods.
Joining the Apostle Paul on missionary journeys, Timothy experienced the fact that those in authority were hostile, often violently so, to followers of Christ.
Paul experienced firsthand the wrath of those who opposed his proclamation of the Gospel. And he understood that Christians abused and victimized by government authorities would not be predisposed to remember such officials in prayer.
The Apostle Paul was well aware that during His earthly ministry Jesus had promoted respect for the state, for His Kingdom was not primarily of this world. Jesus did not confront the Roman state directly, but taught respect for the civil magistrate (Matthew 22:21). Paul also would have known, as a rabbi, that in the Old Testament, God likewise told the Jews who were in captivity to respect those who took them from their homes (Ezra 6:10; Jeremiah 29:7).
It is likely that, as with every person who has occupied the White House in our lifetimes, we will disagree with at least some of President Obama’s positions on social and moral matters. If we contend with his decisions with bitterness and an unflattering spirit, we run the high risk of bringing dishonor on the name of Christ.
We should urge those within the Obama administration to apply biblical principles and values in their decision-making. However, it could well be that how we convey our concerns will have as much, if not more, impact on our ultimate success than the nature of the concerns themselves. We must be mindful of our Gospel witness. We can, and must, disagree without being disrespectful.
You may not have voted for our new president, yet I imagine that as a follower of Christ you are thoroughly convinced of God’s Divine Providence. God is not surprised at who is serving in the White House, in Congress or in any other office in Washington, D.C. We can be confident that God does not ignore an institution He Himself ordained – civil government.
We can pray:
n for the safety of President Obama and his family, that God would foil the attempts of those who wish to harm him, that his family would be protected and blessed, that they would always trust God and know His Scriptures;
n that our president and other national leaders would look to God for His wisdom in dealing with the difficult issues of the day;
n that Christ would be glorified by the decisions made in the White House, the Congress, and the courts, and that good would triumph over evil in every policy decision;
n for policies that encourage moral behavior and attitudes, that prescribe justice for those who do wrong, that do not fetter our right to speak freely, and that recognize the foundational strength and importance of biblical marriage;
n that we would be willing to make the necessary hard choices and become a part of the solution to the troublesome problems we face as a nation and, that as churches and Christians, we would be particularly sensitive to those who are struggling and defenseless; and,
n that we would put our faith in God, not in man’s plans or government programs.
If we are not faithful in going to our knees in intercession for our new president and other national leaders, we can be assured that evil will be more likely to prevail. We hope that you will join us in praying for our new president, his family, and for those who advise him.
We have developed a prayer guide that can be downloaded at iLiveValues.com/prayer and distributed as you desire. We are hopeful your church will have special prayer around the time of President-elect Obama’s inauguration, to lift up to our Heavenly Father our new president and all those in earthly authority.
Our prayers can change our country – they will change us.