How should I #Pray4ThePresident ?

We all know it is a great idea to pray for people.  However, thinking about how to pray for a high profile leader like the President of the United States can seem pretty overwhelming.  How should I pray? What should I ask for? Fortunately the Bible gives us some excellent guidance.  

Over the next few days as we lead up to #Pray4ThePresident I'll be highlighting a few things to consider when you pray for the leader of the free world. 

• Pray that the President and our leaders will seek wise counsel - "For by wise counsel thou shalt make war: and in a multitude of counselors there is safety. (Proverbs 24:6)

•  Pray that they have and demonstrate the wisdom of God -"If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you." (James 1:5)

These are just a few of many examples from the Bible.  It seems pretty clear that anyone in a position of leadership and authority, no matter how skillful, would benefit from seeking the advice of wise counselors and from asking God for wisdom.  Let's pray that our leaders and President Obama do just that!

Why shoud people #Pray4ThePresident?

A few people who we have asked to join us to #Pray4ThePresident on 07.05.2015 have expressed opinions ranging from concern to dismay.  They may feel that publicly agreeing to #Pray4ThePresident will be seen as a political statement or that they might offend or alienate someone. Fortunately the Bible makes a couple of things clear. 

First, all authority comes from God:


He changes times and seasons;  he deposes kings and raises up others.  He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning. Daniel 2:21 (NIV)

Second, he wants us to pray for our leaders, regardless of how you feel.

I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf and give thanks for them. Pray this way for kings and all who are in authority so that we can live peaceful and quiet lives marked by godliness and dignity.” 1Timothy 2 1-2 (NLT)

Here is an excerpt from the story of how we came up with this project that says it pretty well.

"All to often, people of faith are known for the things that they are against.  Rarely are they known for what they are for.  With this in mind our group determined to come up with a way to honor authority, and more specifically, to honor our President.  We decided that the best way to do this was to pray for the most powerful man in the free world."

What will you do?