I recently came across this and it is well written and a good point for us to keep in mind as we approach Wed am!
Dear Mr. President
Dear Mr. President:
I do not yet know your name, but in a few days you will be elected to our nation’s highest office, and become the leader of the free world at the end of a long and engaging election season.
I wanted you to know that I will be praying for you. Not praying against you, or about you, but for you. That is both my pledge, and my obligation as a follower of Christ. In the Bible, the apostle Paul writes, “I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone – for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.”
And I will do so with a full and undivided heart.
I will be praying for you from my position as a father of four children, and God willing, future grandchildren; that you will have the foresight to think through what your decisions will mean for them as the next generation.
I will be praying for you as a citizen of the United States; that you will seek wisdom from God and humbly submit yourself to His leadership as you lead our nation through economic turbulence, domestic divides, and cultural diversities.
I will be praying for you as a member of the global population; that you will work with other well-intentioned leaders from around the world as we face environmental challenges, wars and rumors of wars, and humanitarian crises.
And finally, I will be praying for you as a Christian; that you will encourage faith in God to flourish and never allow deeply held spiritual convictions to become a matter of ridicule, instead encouraging everyone to grant them a respectful hearing, even if they go against the political policy of your party.
It is being widely spoken that the next president will inherit more that needs immediate attention than any other president in recent memory. As a result, it has been a hard-fought and hotly contested election. Yes, I will vote, and I do not know if you will be the one for whom I cast my ballot. But following November 4th, all that must be set aside no matter how deep the divides may be.
So while I do not know if you will be the candidate I voted for, I do know that no matter your name, I will support you in one way without question.
I will be praying for you.
James Emery White
Sources
Scripture reference: I Timothy 2:1-2, New International Version.
For an online community committed to praying for our leaders that is both non-political and non-partisan, see www.presidentialprayerteam.org.
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2 comments:
Pastor,
Thanks for this posting. Something else to help put things in perspective for me about the presidential election as I get ready to cast my vote within the next hour.
I just came from a friend of mine's blog. She posted both the article and the YouTube video from John Piper, called, "Let Christians Vote As Though They Were Not Voting." If you get a chance, surf on over to YouTube or his "Desiring God" webpage....that article is from Oct. 22 and it's in the Resource Library section. Both are well worth the time.
Blessings,
Pam
Pastor—
WOW! This is excellent. What a strong reminder; in fact, better said, exhortation for all of us. The Lord has appointed His choice for the presidency of the US and He is the God of both the blue states AND the red states!!
Yes indeed, what a journey for the church as we sought counsel from the Holy Spirit and God's Word as to how we should cast our votes. For the followers of Christ, the campaigning months led us to spend numerous hours speaking with our Lord thru prayer, and listening to Him as we spent time examining the scripture. We watched debates, interviews, news broadcasts, and biographies, searched the web and watched as the BLUE team and the RED team played many games of “sticks and stones…” We did as we hope will bring glory to God and allow for us to, ‘live in peace’ so that we may continue to share the message of hope with this world. There are sooo many lost who have no clue that resolve is so close at hand and, moreover, that their need of a Savior is no joke.
As I watched the returns with Mom and it came to a point where it was quite obvious that Barak Obama would be named the next President of the United States, all I could see was a huge opportunity for God’s people to share the Gospel.
I pray that God will give us the boldness to walk thru the many doors of opportunity that will be made available to us as His church to bear witness of Jesus Christ in the many conversations at work and various places He places us day to day.
Pastor, thanks again for sharing this with us, I am certainly going to use this prayer from James White to do some seed planting!! I am excited at the prospect of sharing this with many followers of Christ and what an impact on non-believers this will have as we explain, in love, what our Lord says about praying for world leaders; trust me when I tell you that this will be emailed to many. Thanks again for sharing and may we at Central Baptist Church be reminded of our obligation to pray!!
God bless,
Libby
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