Please Don't Pray for the President's Death

If you are on Facebook, you probably have seen this prayer:

"Dear Lord, this year you took my favorite actor, Patrick Swayze. You took my favorite actress, Farah Fawcett. You took my favorite singer, Michael Jackson. I just wanted to let you know, my favorite President is Barack Obama. Amen."

If you are a follower of Jesus Christ, please consider these words:

"First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth" (1 Timothy 2:1-4).

Please do not pray for President Obama's death (even as a joke). God wants us to pray for him "to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth." He is a real person with real needs. If you are a Christian, please treat him with respect and concern. That's what God wants from us.

Is It Racist to Disagree with President Obama?

Last winter, someone told me that people did not vote for Barack Obama simply because they are racists. He said, "They try to say that it's because of other issues, but you know it's just because he is black." I replied, "Um...I didn't vote for President Obama because I'm pro-life."

It may be hard to believe, but it is possible to disagree with President Obama without considering his race.

"...whoever spreads slander is a fool" (Proverbs 10:18).

A Prayer for President Obama

President Obama plans on addressing America's school children this week concerning the importance of education.

At www.desiringgod.org/Blog/1986_i_hope_my_daughter_hears_the_presidents_speech, John Piper has shared this prayer for the president as he prepares to talk to the children of the United States:

"Father, the condition of our schools and families is so broken that nothing seems to be working, especially for the poor in our urban centers. Help our president to have the courage to use his amazing place of influence to speak into this situation in such a way that boys and girls would take their studies seriously and put school above sport and homework above hiphop and graduation above gangs.

"O, Lord, create a culture where it is not cool to fail. Give our president the courage to call all children, especially ones who feel hopeless about academic work, to fight for knowledge the way gangs fight for turf.

"And as the president plans his speech, help him to feel as helpless as he really is to meet the greatest needs of our children, so that he turns to Jesus who alone has the answer for the ruin and the wrongs of our cities. In Jesus' name, Amen."

I have noticed the respect that several of the kids in the Contact Church give to President Obama. They wear t-shirts bearing his image, and request prayers specifically for him during our prayer and praise portion of the worship services. They identify with him and listen to him. If other children of the inner city look to him with similar admiration, his speech could be a catalyst in turning some of them away from the temptations to drop out of school, experience drug addiction, and join gangs. I join with John Piper in praying that President Obama's influence will be used to encourage the best from our children.

(On a personal but related side note, our son Christopher faced his very first test in school this past week. He scored 100% on his first spelling test!)