Prayer for the President
R. Albert Mohler has posted a prayer for President Obama. It is worth reading and praying in its entirety. Here are some of the elements. Mohler
- begins with God’s sovereignty,
- prays for God’s glory to be revealed,
- gives thanks for the gift of government and the grace of civil order,
- rejoices with those who rejoice, specifically African-Americans who never expected to experience the satisfaction and joy of seeing “a person who looks like themselves” become our president,
- prays for God to protect President Obama and his family,
- prays for God to bless his family,
- prays for God to grant him wisdom as commander and chief, and in every area of his responsibility: national, international, financial, social, etc.,
- prays for God to change his heart about the sanctity of life and of marriage (see below),
- prays for God to give us as Christians wisdom when we are required to oppose the president within the proper bounds of citizenship,
- prays for the church to be protected and conformed to God’s perfect will,
- closes the prayer in recognizing the absolute sovereignty of Christ our soon coming King.
Three paragraphs focus on areas of conflict between Christians and the positions that President Obama has taken:
Father, we pray that you will change this president’s heart and mind on issues of urgent concern. We are so thankful for his gifts and talents, for his intellect and power of influence. Father, bend his heart to see the dignity and sanctity of every single human life, from the moment of conception until natural death. Father, lead him to see abortion, not as a matter of misconstrued rights, but as a murderous violation of the right to life. May he come to see every aborted life as a violation of human dignity and every abortion as an abhorrent blight upon this nation’s moral witness. May he pledge himself to protect every human life at every stage of development. He has declared himself as an energetic defender of abortion rights, and we fear that his election will lead directly to the deaths of countless unborn human beings. Protect us from this unspeakable evil, we pray. Most urgently, we pray that you will bring the reign of abortion to an end, even as you are the defender of the defenseless.
Father, may this new president see that human dignity is undermined when human embryos are destroyed in the name of medical progress, and may he see marriage as an institution that is vital to the very survival of civilization. May he protect all that is right and good. Father, change his heart where it must be changed, and give him resolve where his heart is right before you.
Father, when we face hard days ahead — when we find ourselves required by conscience to oppose this president within the bounds of our roles as citizens — may we be granted your guidance to do so with a proper spirit, with a proper demeanor, and with persuasive arguments. May we learn anew how to confront without demonizing, and to oppose without abandoning hope.
The entire prayer should be prayed. I will put it on my PDA to have it available when praying for the president. I encourage you to read it here and to pray it in the days ahead.
