A Prayer for God to Lead Our President - Your Daily Prayer - February 16
Your Daily Prayer
Audio By Carbonatix
By Lynette Kittle, Crosswalk.com
A Prayer for God to Lead Our President
By Lynette Kittle
Bible Reading:
“In the Lord’s hand the king’s heart is a stream of water that He channels toward all who please Him.” - Proverbs 21:1
Listen or Read Below:
Praying for God to lead America’s current and future Presidents is vital. It’s critical for our nation, which will be celebrating its 250th birthday this year.
Throughout the Bible, it’s clear that God calls us to pray for our leaders, and as the Apostle Paul urges in 1 Timothy 2:1-2, “I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people—for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.”
Because God calls us in His word to pray for our leaders, President’s Day is a reminder to do so; a day to set aside to express gratitude to God for our past presidents and for our current leader.
Presidents’ Day originally began in the United States on February 22, 1879, celebrating our nation’s first President, George Washington’s birthday, with many states also including our 16th president, Abraham Lincoln, born February 12th, in their celebrations, as well as some states making it a day to celebrate all U.S. presidents.
Praying for our presidents is woven into our nation’s fabric, being an important component of America’s foundation and long-lasting stability. Prayer by our citizens for our leaders has been essential since even before the establishment of the United States.
Providence Forum executive director, Dr. Jerry Newcombe, notes that prayer has been of high importance and seen as fundamental for our presidents’ and nation’s success. Our very first President, George Washington, was known to carry a well-worn, pocket-sized edition of the Anglican Book of Common Prayer, using it to call our troops and nation to days of prayer.
Newcombe reminds us of President George Washington’s poignant words, still true for America today: “[I]t is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the Providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favor.”
All in all, though, it is God who receives glory for directing our presidents in response to our prayers, so that when we see their hearts turning towards Him and for the care and concerns of their citizens, we recognize God is answering our prayers and at work in their lives and in our nation.
Some Christians may believe that God doesn’t care one way or the other if we pray for our presidents, especially if we aren’t fans of the current one in office.
Some take a somewhat cavalier approach to praying for our leaders, seeing it as something we can decide to do if we want to, believing it’s optional and dependent on whether we feel like it, and thinking God is totally okay with whatever we decide to do.
However, 1 Samuel 12:23 explains how God considers our lack of or unwillingness to pray as sinful in nature, something many Christians don’t even consider: “As for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord by failing to pray for you. And I will teach you the way that is good and right.”
Let’s Pray:
Dear Father,
Thank you for our president and his willingness to serve our country at the risk of his own life and the lives of his family. Watch over and protect them, and keep them from all evil plots and plans formed against them.
Lead us today, and each day, to be willing to pray for our current president because You call us to pray, and it pleases You.
Divinely guide us to pray for Your will and purposes to be accomplished through him, for his life to glorify You in the decisions he makes for our nation, and for the destiny You have for him and America to be fulfilled.
Guide his steps to follow Your lead to fulfill Your will for our nation, our citizens, and for the world he influences. Place Your hand of sovereign protection over his life.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen.
Share your reflections on today’s devotional in the Your Daily Prayer discussion on the Crosswalk Forum.
Photo Credit: ©GettyImages/Denisfilm
Lynette Kittle is married with four daughters. She enjoys writing about faith, marriage, parenting, relationships, and life. Her writing has been published by Focus on the Family, Decision, Today’s Christian Woman, kirkcameron.com, Ungrind.org, StartMarriageRight.com, and more. She has a M.A. in Communication from Regent University and serves as associate producer for Soul Check TV.
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