Personally, I do not see how any born-again Christian could vote for Obama. Obama said he will teach sex education to kindergartners. He is for gay marriage. He said he will remove all remaining laws regarding abortion, making any and every type of abortion legal in the U.S. His affections are strongly toward Africa and Islam, and he has refused to salute the American flag or wear a flag pin (until he was coerced to do so). IMO, I think he is far more liberal than Bill Clinton ever was, and I tend to think that is only the tip of the iceberg. I wonder exactly what radical "CHANGE"es he is going to implement, and I suspect that, for the most part at least, they will be very, very bad changes. But only time will tell, and much of my suspicions are merely conjecture and guessing at this point. No matter what, the fact is that Barack Hussein Obama is now President of the United States. And, in light of that, I think the following article by J. Lee Grady of "Charisma" magazine puts things in right perspective:
Fire In My Bones
By J. Lee Grady
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
http://fireinmybones.com/
10 Ways to Pray for Barack Obama
Whether you are happy about this week’s election results or not, all Christians must unite in prayer for our new president. Please don’t forsake this responsibility.
It’s over. We’ve reached the end of the longest, angriest and most nerve-wracking presidential campaign in American history. Finally the “I approved this message” ads have ceased. The endless robot phone calls have stopped ringing. The debates, and the annoying post-debate comments from “experts,” are history—until the next election cycle.
More than half the nation is celebrating today while others are mourning. We are a divided nation, split into unhappy fragments by abortion, gay marriage, global warming, a failed economy and an unpopular war. Those who voted for Barack Obama have claimed a historic victory; some on McCain’s side are already looking for scapegoats. Politics is politics.
But when I got up this morning, I turned all my attention to the fact that Jesus Christ is still on the throne. His government is what is most important. Regardless of who sits in the Oval Office, the Bible says “the nations are like a drop from a bucket” to God (Is. 40:15, NASB). That includes the United States. We may boast about being “the greatest nation on earth,” but He who sits in heaven has a different perspective. Let’s take a big sigh of relief now and remember that God is sovereign.
I’ll admit this election did not turn out as I had hoped. I supported McCain primarily because I am pro-life and I prefer his small-government mindset. But now that the election is over, I’m not going to harbor bitterness toward Obama supporters or go into attack mode. Obama has been elected president of this country, and that means I have a biblical responsibility to support him in prayer—even if I challenge his policies.
Whether you voted for Obama or not, you need to pray for him. Here are 10 ways I plan to intercede for him regularly:
1. Pray for Obama’s protection. We already know that some weird, neo-Nazi fanatics in Tennessee plotted to kill Sen. Obama during his campaign. Let’s pray that racist hatred is not allowed to spread. Let’s cancel every assassin’s bullet in the name of Jesus. May civility triumph over bigotry.
2. Cover his wife and daughters in prayer. It is not easy to live under constant media scrutiny. Pray for Obama’s wife, Michelle, and their two daughters, Malia and Natasha, as they face invasive cameras, nosy reporters, maniacal fans and dangerous enemies. Obama is not only a politician but also a husband and a father.
3. Pray that Obama will govern with God’s wisdom. God rewarded Solomon because he asked for wisdom instead of wealth, long life or vengeance on his enemies (see 1 Kings 3:11-12). Pray that Obama will order his priorities like that. Despite Solomon’s tragic character flaws, his legacy was wisdom. We can ask God to give our president the same grace.
4. Ask God to keep our president humble. Many great American leaders became corrupt after they moved to Washington. The fatal attraction of fame, wealth and power proved irresistible. The only thing that will guard a man or woman from this pitfall is humility. May God deliver President Obama from the curse of pride.
5. Pray for wise and righteous advisers to surround him. Godly leaders cannot do their job alone. Even the best leaders have failed because they trusted the wrong people. Pray that Obama will not select his counselors based on party, race, pedigree or political cronyism but on godly character and proven wisdom. Pray also that he will not allow secret traitors into his inner circle.
6. Ask for the spirit of reconciliation. Some segments of our deeply divided society want nothing to do with Obama now that he has won the presidency. Even some Christians will be tempted to harbor resentment and nurse political grudges throughout his term in office. Pray that God will grant forgiveness and healing so that leaders on all political levels can have constructive dialogue.
7. Pray that Obama will adopt pro-life convictions. Many politicians have changed their views on key issues while in office. In the 1800s some leaders who favored slavery later denounced it. In the 1950s some who opposed racial integration later became champions of it. Even though Obama won approval from many voters because he sanctions abortion, God could soften and change his heart.
8. Bind all evil forces assigned to manipulate our president. The specter of Islamic terrorism looms over the United States, and dark forces are ready to infiltrate. Our only hope lies in prayer to the God who is able to expose and outwit the schemes of the wicked. This is truly a time for spiritual warfare, and intercessors must not come off the wall in this hour! Pray that no foreign government, terrorist organization or demonic principality will use Obama as a tool. We must stand strong against the spirit of antichrist that promotes dictatorship, persecution of Christians and hostility toward Israel.
9. Pray that Obama’s door will remain open to the church. The loudest voices of secular culture—from Bill Maher in Hollywood to atheists in academia—would be happy if religion were removed from public life. Pray that Obama, who claims to have a personal faith in Jesus Christ, will unapologetically welcome Christian leaders into his company and seek their counsel. And pray that false religious leaders (who claim to know Christ but deny His power) will not have his ear.
10. Pray that our nation will enjoy God’s peace and blessing during the Obama administration. The apostle Paul instructed early believers to pray for all in authority “so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity” (1 Tim. 2:2, NASB). God’s will is for America to experience peace and prosperity so that we can continue to export the gospel to the nations. This must happen whether a Democrat or a Republican is in the White House. As we cry out for God’s mercy on our wayward nation, pray that He will allow us to be a light to the world as we finance global missions, feed and heal the world’s poor and share Christ’s love at home and abroad.
J. Lee Grady is editor of Charisma.
from: http://fireinmybones.com/
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3 comments:
Although as noted in my latest satire and theology article, I take a rather negative view on politics in light of the present state of Western society, I do agree that we should pray for our leaders. I do at times pray for Canada, the USA, and UK.
I reason the expectations on Obama are very high, but I hope and pray that God will lead him to make wise decisions, and that he will come to an acceptance of Biblical Christianity.
Julz (One week wonder) has written a related piece and I am going to leave a similar comment.
Cheers, Jeff.
Hi Jeff,
I'll probably leave a longer comment later. For the moment, I'll just probably say a couple of things. Firstly, well I'm afraid we have to accept that people can be born-again Christians with radically different politics. For example, if I descend into brain-lapse mode I find it hard to understand why a genuine Christian would vote Tory. But in reality I know plenty of right-wing Christians as well as plenty of left-wing Christians. In fact... they both coexist at my church.
Secondly, your prayer list is pretty good, good advice when praying for any national leadership; whether it's political or church-based.
Nevertheless, I think the comment on Islamic terrorism is somewhat misplaced. Islam is very significant outside of the US; particularly in the Middle-east and Asia (Indian subcontinent Asia). But to say it's a spectre looming over the US implies that it has greater authority there than Jesus and that simply cannot be the case.
It's not factual nor faithful to God's investment in your country.
Moreover, it smacks of excessive paranoia amongst US Christians, but you're not alone! I remember the time I visited Chicago and during some random chit-chat our US colleagues started asking us about our attitude towards terrorism (7/7 had only happened 6 months previously). The truth is though, Brits don't think much about it. Terrorists are never powerful enough to destabilize a country - their true power is psychological, in Iraq as much as in the UK. As soon as we transcend it; they lose all their power.
So, c'mon mate, if we relatively irreligious, tea-sipping Brits aren't fazed then I'm sure you guys can shift to a more balanced perspective :-)
-Luv & Prayers from julz @p
snial (julz),
Thanks for your comment and opinion. Please check out the following blog site, and, even if you don't read all of it, make sure to at least scroll down the site and scan the titles and watch some (or all) of the videos. This reflects what some people are saying:
How Some People View Obama
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