He has won the presidency. Barack Obama will become our 44th President of the United States on January 20, 2009. I did not vote for him. Barack was too liberal for me. He will not support a right to life for an unborn child. He wants to redistribute the wealth by taxing the “haves” and giving the money to the “have nots,” just as his liberation theology teaches. There are other things about his character, his demeanor, and his philosophy with which I strongly disagree. But he has been elected. My fellow countrymen have spoken.
What should I do now? Some would say that I should speak of Mr. Obama only with distain and contempt. Some of his antagonists will say that we should disrespect him, speak evil of him, and oppose him at every turn no matter what suggestion or goal he might put forth. Well, there is something to be said for being the “loyal opposition.” We should oppose wrong-headed politics. So, I will lend whatever influence I might have to defeat any socialistic idea, any idea that will give our tax dollars to shabbily run banks and companies that cannot compete in our free market system, any idea that will weaken the U.S. military and make it too lean to protect my children and grandchildren from U.S. hating aggressive nations and terrorists. Yes, I will write, speak, and teach to oppose any policy of President Obama and our liberal congress when that policy will result in harm to our country.
But, I do owe something to President Obama. He will be my President, the President of our country, the greatest country on earth. He will be the number one representative of our country where ever he goes in this world. He was elected by the people of my America, a place I greatly love. President Obama will be to me like the U.S. flag, a symbol of the freedom ideals that made America the great country that she is.
I owe President Obama my prayers. I have always prayed for our Presidents, the ones I voted for and the ones I didn’t. Come to think of it, if I didn’t vote for a man who becomes President, maybe I should pray more for him than for a President for whom I did vote. President Bush has often told individuals with whom he spoke that he appreciates the prayers that have gone up for him. Sometimes he has said this with tears on his face. I think that President Obama will appreciate the prayers of our citizens, too. But whether he does or not, I will still pray for him, because I am not praying to make him feel better. I am praying for him because he needs our prayers. I am praying for him because without God’s blessing there will be shame, weakness, failure, dishonor and defeat for our country.
The Apostle Paul wrote, “I exhort therefore, that first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men; for kings and for all that are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty” (I Tim. 2:1-2).
President Obama will hold great authority. He will be the most powerful man in the world. Therefore, we are commanded, as Christians, to pray for him. We must remember that “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). God is able to change Mr. Obama’s mind. God is able to cause our new President to rule in a way that will surprise everyone; even Obama himself may be surprised to find that he makes decisions that are very conservative, capitalistic, and cautious.
So, I will pray that Mr. Obama will come under the influence of people who are pro-life, people who favor a strong military, people who believe strongly in the private ownership of property, people who believe in the right to make a profit, and people who believe that workers should be able to keep what they earn.
I will pray that Mr. Obama will set a good example in his life style, and that he and his administration will be free from scandal.
I will pray that he will make good decisions, that he will make good appointments, and that he will reject extreme internationalism.
Mr. Obama could be a good President, but if he is, it will be because Christian people pray for him, and because he listens to the voice of God. I owe it to him to pray for him.
I also owe it to Mr. Obama to respect him. He will hold our nation’s highest office. He was elected by the American people. To treat him with contempt would be to disrespect my country and the process that brought him to that high office.
The Apostle Paul wrote, “Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake: whether it be to the king, as supreme; or unto governors, as unto them that are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers, and for the praise of them that do well. . . honor the king” (I Peter 2:13-17).
When Mr. Clinton was President, I strongly disagreed with his life style. He was a fornicator, a liar, and a licentious man, and all of this in the Oval Office. However, I was careful in what I said about the President. I did not rail against him. I did not call him disrespectful names. In the pulpit and in the classroom, I was careful to speak of him as our President, with honor. Why did I speak of Mr. Clinton with such reverence? Because the Bible says that we should honor our governmental leaders. Not the ones we like, only. Not the ones with which we agree, only. No, we must honor all who hold the office, because God says so.
This does not mean that we cannot disagree and say so. It does not mean that we can not criticize bad decisions. If the President promotes a bad policy, we ought to stand against that policy. But we should still respect the President for the office he holds. We should not call him bad names or heap scorn upon his head.
God brought Mr. Obama to the presidency. We do not know why. Some have said that we get the kind if leaders that we deserve. That was certainly true when Israel got Saul as her king. But be that as it may, it is after all, God Who placed Mr. Obama in office. God could have prevented Mr. Obama from winning the election, but He didn’t. So, we must recognize God’s choice and be respectful of God’s choice.
Paul wrote, “Let every soul be subject unto the higher power. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God. Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God; and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation” (Romans 13:1-2).
Paul goes on to say that our rulers are ministers of God to us (v. 4); we should be subject not only for wrath sake, but also for conscience sake (v. 5); and therefore we should render fear (reverence) to whom fear is due, and honor to whom honor is due (v. 7).
I wish President Obama well. I pray that he will be in good health. I pray that his wife and family will be safe and peaceful. I pray that he will have a wisdom that could come only from God. I pray that he will gather to himself advisors who are sensible. I pray that he will quickly develop a maturity that is beyond his years and experience. I pray that his faith will be in the Lord (as he professes it is). And I pray that he will be a far better President than his critics have predicted. And, I am one arch conservative right winger who will respect Mr. Obama as my President no matter how things turn out.