Prayer to God to guide the president
Written by Lynette Kittle
Bible reading:
“The heart of a king, which is in the hand of the Lord, is a stream of water flowing to all who please him.” – Proverbs 21:1
Listen or read below:
It is important to pray that God will guide America’s current and future presidents. This is extremely important for our country, which is celebrating its 250th anniversary this year.
Throughout the Bible, it is clear that God calls us to pray for our leaders, and as the Apostle Paul urges in 1 Timothy 2:1-2, “I beseech you, then, first of all, that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings may be made for all men, for kings and for all those in power, that we may live peace and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.”
God calls us in His Word to pray for our leaders, and President’s Day is a reminder to do so. It is a day set aside to express gratitude to God for past presidents and current leaders.
President’s Day originally began in the United States on February 22, 1879, celebrating the birthday of our nation’s first president, George Washington, and in many states, our 16th president, Abraham Lincoln, born on February 12, also joins in the celebration, and some states make it a day to celebrate all U.S. presidents.
Praying for the president is woven into the fabric of our nation and is a critical element of America’s foundation and long-term stability. Public prayer for our nation’s leaders has been essential since before the founding of the United States.
Dr. Jerry Newcomb, executive director of the Providence Forum, said prayer has been considered critical and fundamental to presidential and national success. Our nation’s first president, George Washington, carried around a well-worn pocket version of the Episcopal Book of Common Prayer and was known to use it to call days of prayer to our troops and people.
Newcombe reminds us of President George Washington’s poignant words, which apply to America today. “It is the duty of all nations to recognize the providence of Almighty God, to submit to His will, to be grateful for His blessings, and to humbly implore His protection and favor.”
But overall, it is God who is glorified in leading our presidents in response to our prayers, and when we see their hearts turned to God and to the care and concern of our people, we recognize that God is answering our prayers and working in their lives and in our country.
Some Christians may believe that God doesn’t care one way or the other if we pray for the president, especially if we’re not a fan of the current president.
Some people take a somewhat blunt approach to praying for their leaders. It believes that it is something we can decide for ourselves if we want to, that it is optional and depends on whether we do it, and that God is perfectly fine with whatever we decide to do.
However, 1 Samuel 12:23 explains that God views our lack of prayer, or unwillingness to pray, as inherently sinful, and although many Christians do not even think about it, he says, “For my part, I would hardly think that I would sin against the Lord by not praying for you; and I will teach you a good and right way.”
Let’s pray:
Dear father,
Thank you to our president and his willingness to risk his own life and that of his family to serve our country. Watch over them, protect them, and protect them from all evil plots and plans hatched against them.
Lead us to be willing to pray for our current president today and every day. Because You call us to pray, and it pleases You.
Divinely guide us so that your will and purpose may be accomplished through him, that his life may glorify you in the decisions he makes for our country, and that the destiny you have for him and for America may be fulfilled.
Guide his steps according to your guidance to fulfill your will for our country, our people, and the world he influences. Lay your sovereign protective hand upon his life.
In the name of Jesus,
Amen.
Share your thoughts on today’s devotion in the Daily Prayer discussion in the Crosswalk Forum.
Photo credit: ©GettyImages/Denisfilm
Lynette Kittle is married and has four daughters. She enjoys writing about faith, marriage, parenting, relationships, and life. Her work has been published in Focus on the Family, Decision, Today’s Christian Woman, kirkcameron.com, Ungrind.org, StartMarriageRight.com, and elsewhere. She holds a master’s degree in communications from Regent University and is an associate producer at Soul Check TV.
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