It's Hard to Hate a President that You Pray For

My wife, kids and I have been praying almost daily for Barack, Michelle, Sasha, and Malia Obama since they became the First Family Elect of the United States.  We had voted for John McCain and, frankly, were very nervous about an Obama presidency.  During the campaigning process I was very vocal about my support for McCain and my opposition to Obama.  This is the United States and I am very thankful for the right to speak my mind freely.  People of every race, creed, color, orientation, political affiliation, and religion should always have that right.  There is no harm in having or expressing an opinion.

 However, infinitely more important than being able to express my opinion as an American is my desire as a Christian to care about people’s hearts above those right or wrong opinions.  And, while I am, as a citizen of the United States, regularly and carefully sharing my thoughts with our elected officials I am far more often simply praying for the people voters have entrusted with leading us.

 I am sure that the concept of hating a president or elected official isn’t too far from many people’s minds these days.  The media has always been very quick to show the stories of those who seem to hate a president.  I hear from people daily who hate President Obama’s policies and trash him all day long for them.  Sometimes, maybe often times, I sense that conservatives, more specifically for the purposes of this article, evangelical conservatives, hate this president’s policies and try to defeat them more than they love the man as their neighbor and pray for his heart.  I know for a fact that if I didn’t pray for Barack Obama and his family daily that I would be guilty of the same thing.  It is my praying for the Obama family that keeps me from sinning against them with a reckless tongue.

 I have written before about Former Governor Jesse Ventura’s comment that religion is a crutch for the weak.  In the case of praying for Barack Obama my faith is more like a brick wall for me.  I am weak and I willingly and gladly admit it.  I am too weak not to pray for the daily strength to overcome the sin of unhealthy criticism.  I am too weak not to pray for the ability to love my fellow man with which I have so many deep disagreements.  I pray because I must.  I pray because I will fail miserably if I don’t.  Having failed far more times than I care to number, I daily choose to succeed.  In this particular case, I am choosing to succeed at loving and praying for a president that I don’t agree with, that I didn’t vote for and for his heart that I do not understand. 

 God loves Barack Obama and his family as much as He loves me and mine and wants them for His own—if they aren’t already.  I cannot judge him because I haven’t walked a step in his shoes let alone a mile.  So, as a citizen I will be proactive in sharing my opinions, but far more often my wife, four-year-old son and daughter and I will bow our heads, quiet our hearts and pray this prayer:

 Dear Jesus, This morning we pray for Barack Obama, Michelle Obama, Malia and Sasha Obama to come to know you if they don’t already.  We pray that President Obama would become the best Christian president this nation has ever known.  Guide him, protect him and help him to seek you.  We pray for his cabinet and administration and for every decision he will make for our country today.  We trust you, Lord.  Amen.