Day 255: How to Pray Over a President

DAY 255

Faith in the Midst of a Pandemic

A series of daily reflections for people of faith, by Rev. Robert Bayley, Interim Pastor

Patuxent Presbyterian Church, California, Maryland – pastorrobert@paxpres.org

Week Thirty-seven    Tuesday 24 November 2020

How to Pray Over a President

While I have maintained anonymity with regards to my sources for these columns – I want people to respond to the contents not react to the sources -  I am making an exception here due to the importance of the material and the time we are in. The writer is Bonnie Kristian and the article appeared in the November 2020 issue of the evangelical Protestant magazine Christianity Today. 

“I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for everyone, for kings and all who are in high positions, so that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and dignity.”  1 Timothy 2:1-2 NRSV

“Here are four ways to pray over a president, whoever he may be:

Pray honestly, but with mercy. “We should not conceal our emotions in prayer, as if we could fool God. But at the same time, as bitter honesty is preferable to decorous pretense, so mercy in our prayers is better than cruelty.”

Pray for winners and for losers. “For those whose candidate loses, we should pray for calm, endurance, and comfort in what may be a moment of real fear. For those whose candidate wins, we should pray for responsibility, humility, and grace. Insofar as conscience permits, let us ‘rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep.” (Romans 12:15).”

Pray for wisdom, peace and justice. “Every presidency is much shaped by its staff, and the space between Election Day and Inauguration Day is a crucial time for the selection of  presidential advisors. ‘Where there is no guidance a nation falls,’ says Proverbs 11:14, but bad guidance can take a nation down also. Prayers for peace are needed…”

Pray for perspective and discipleship. “The president, we must remember, is not everything.

Who occupies the Oval Office cannot singly determine every course of the next four years… many policies that most affect our daily lives are set at state and local levels. There is good to do in our communities, whatever happens in Washington…the president is not our true King and America is not our true kingdom. Our hope is in Christ…” 

Reflective question: 1 Timothy 2:1-2 is not a suggestion it is a command. Will you obey it?

Reflective Scripture:  Psalm 22:28 – For the kingdom is the Lord’s and he rules over nations.”

Reflective hymn:

“America” (“My Country ‘Tis of Thee) – Rev. Samuel Francis Smith (1808-1895)

Our father’s God to Thee, Author of liberty, to Thee we sing.

Long may our land be bright, with freedom’s holy light,

Protect us by Thy might Great God our King!