Tuesday, November 04, 2008

A Prayer for the New President

Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.
Rom 13:1

It's 3pm, November 5th, here in Singapore (making it 11pm on election day in California). I just finished reading the headlines that McCain conceded the election to Obama, making Obama our new President-elect. Barring any extraordinary circumstances, Mr. Obama will take office in January to become the next leader of the United States.

Whether or not I would have chosen Obama for this position is irrelevant. The Bible is clear that God is absolutely sovereign over the affairs of men, including political affairs, which means Obama is God's ordained leader over our nation. Mr. Obama is the man GOD chose for the job and ultimately, Obama must seek to please God, not the American public.

God cares about justice. He calls us to defend the defenseless and to care for those who cannot care for themselves. There are many, many people who fall into this category, and though we may debate the best way to accomplish our goal, as Christians, I believe we are (or at least ought to be) striving for the same end. Mr. Obama has expressed great concern for the poor and needy of our nation and of the world. In fact, that is the reason given me by several of my Christian friends who chose to support Obama. While I disagree with his solution, I admire his compassion for these often overlooked groups.

Unfortunately, while helping some, he has waged war on others--the very least of the "least of these". If you've ever held a newborn baby, you know who absolutely helpless newborns are. How much more so those that are not yet born! While there are, perhaps, many others who are equally in need of our protection, there is no one, no one, in need of it more. We must be in fervant prayer that God would change Obama's heart in regards to the "least of these" among us--the unborn children who are being annihilated by the thousands each day. Let us be persistent and not grow weary in praying for this!

Father in Heaven, thank you for establishing government to rule over us. Thank you for placing Mr. Obama in the position of President-Elect. Be with him and bless him. Fill him with wisdom and understanding. Give him a passion for righteousness and justice. Use him to carry out your will in our nation. Father, we know that it is your will that we protect and care for the weak. I ask that you change Mr. Obama's heart in regards to the heineous practice of abortion. Give Mr. Obama the humility needed to change course and come to the defense of the unborn children. Most of all, Father, give us the heart we ought to have, for the lost and suffering. Have mercy on our nation. Forgive us of our manifold sins. Help us to do justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly before you.

7 comments:

Elizabeth said...

that is my biggest concern as well... http://www.nrlc.org/foca/index.html

Anonymous said...

Thanks and well spoken Bec. I needed be reminded of that perspective. And Amen to your prayer!

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the prayer....I have to keep telling myself that God is in control......He knows what the future holds .....Amen...Amen

christianne said...

I love your perspective on praying for God to change his heart with respect to abortion. I will join you in this prayer, as well as continuing to pray for his protection and wisdom in discerning all the matters that lie before him.

Jess(ica) said...

I really appreciate you writing this. Throughout the campaigning and into last night with the announcement of Obama's win, and even into today, I have been focusing so much on how I feel like we, as a nation, made the wrong choice. But as of 11/4/08,
11pm EST, it was no longer about what choice to make but about praying for our new leader. And as someone I know and love said, maybe Mr. Obama will exceed our expectations. =)

kirsten said...

wonderful prayer, bec. president-elect obama has a very tough job ahead of him and he is going to need all the prayer he can get. thanks for sharing yours.

not2brightGRAM said...

Very well said. God does hold the hearts of kings (and therefore presidents) in His hands, and it is to Him that Obama must answer.

We should be praying for our leaders so that we can live quiet and godly lives.

Let us also pray that, as he decries the loss of thousands of innocent lives in war, he wakes up to the travesty of the slaughter of MILLIONS of human lives in the womb.