This is a side-item to our regular Bible challenge. I sent this email today to some friends, and I got so much response from it that I thought I should post it here, in case anyone else finds it enlightening or encouraging:
All,
I really felt led to write this and send it out to a few people I knew would appreciate it. I'm sorry that it's wordy.
You all know that my choice for President would not have been Obama. (That's putting it mildly.) But, that is the decision we now have. Now we get to see what "change" means...if it means anything at all.
In all this, I know that many Christians, myself included, were praying for the elections, for our country, for the people voting to be given wisdom...and for the outcome of the election to be something used for God's glory. And we all know that it will be. Regardless of the outcome, there is a purpose to it.
And I just thought that, in the Bible, is says to be obedient to the powers in place in your government, and to respect them, and not to speak evil of them. (And it never says "as long as they are good rulers".) Obviously, there are times when we will need to speak out and speak up on some issues, and that is our right because...technically...each of us voters is "the ruler" of the country in some small measure. And it is our duty because we are Christians and are to do what is right and speak up for those who cannot speak up for themselves.
But there are other times when we will want to say something bad, something that is not constructive, something that is mocking or rude or even profane, because of how strongly we feel about the candidate chosen. This doesn't come from a legitimate desire to change policy, but just from a desire to vent our frustration and tear someone else down. And I can't really feel that that is right. I think as Christians, we ought not. But that is just my opinion.
I think that, whether we like his policies or not, we now have a President-elect, and there are several ways we can respond to that, such as getting more engaged in the political system and changing it. But there is one major way that we need to respond to that, and that is prayer.
Prayer for our nation. The kind of prayer many times a day, pleading with God to change our country...that we have been doing in the weeks leading up to this election. What will God do if we have that kind of repentence and focus on praying for a change of heart in our nation constantly...not just when an election looms. Many of us will be tempted to say, "Well, now that's done," and quit praying like we were. Don't! Just because the election is over doesn't mean we don't need prayer...we probably need it even more now with the new road our country may find itself on.
Prayer for Obama. (Yes, even if you don't like him personally.) We need to pray that he is prepared, that he makes wise decisions, that he has wise counselors around him to smooth out his inexperience, that God moves his heart to make moral and right decisions, and that he has the strength of character to stand up in the face of crises, international pressures, and domestic deficits.
And if you REALLY don't like him...all the more reason to pray for him, since the Bible says love your enemies and pray for those who spitefully use you. We as Americans need a President (no matter who he is) that is lifted up in prayer, as...like him or not..he's the one going to have to get the job done, and he will not and cannot do it right without some prayer. No one can. We've all stood behind our current, unashamedly Christian, President with prayer, and we need to stand behind the next one with the same prayer.
We don't need to pray that he'll get what he wants done. We don't need to pray that he puts his policies in place. We do need to pray that he has strength, courage, and most of all wisdom!
It's not unrealistic to think that even deep-rooted policies and beliefs will change on his part with enough prayer. He has claimed repeatedly to be a Christian. I don't know the state of his soul, which is between him and God, but I for one want to believe him on that and haven't seen any reason to think otherwise. Some of the things he thinks are misguided, and I think he is decieved on some points, but I don't see any reason to try to judge that he is not a Christian if he says he is. And if he is, then he is open to the moving of the Holy Spirit more than most, if we just pray for that conviction for him.
It's completely not far-fetched to think that, no matter his beliefs and convictions, they can change. I just want to leave you with this one verse to that effect:
The king's heart is in the hand of the Lord, as the rivers of water: he turneth it whithersoever he will.
Proverbs 21:1
The surrounding verses nowhere imply that the king, whose heart is in the Lord's hand, is a good king to start with. But that God turns the king's heart as it pleases him. Pray for that kind of turning.
very well put.
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