Inauguration Day

Today is a momentous and historical day in the life of the United States and its impact has been felt with mixed tears of joy and sadness.

Joy, that the people of America have broken down the last racial barrier and, for the most part, gathered behind a man born of an African immigrant to lead this nation. Today, we take one more step closer to extinguishing the evil of racism that has plagued our land.

On the other hand others today look upon this with sadness.

Sadness, that many of us could not support the first African-American president of America by voting because of his staunch opposition to the pro-life cause and his defense of homosexual "marriage".

However, whatever your sentiment, we all as Americans and as Christians need to support our president where we can. None of us should wish failure upon our president, though I know many will. His failure would not be beneficial to anyone, in this country or abroad.

Instead, we need to pray for our president. God is in control and He has raised up President Obama to lead this nation and there is no sense contending against God. We need to pray that God protects him during this time and that He grants President Obama with the wisdom and strength to guide this country.

Also, we need to pray that God watches over his family and in particular his little girls as they adjust to these dramatic changes in their lives.

And lastly, as Christians, we need to pray that God would change President Obama's heart and bring him into a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ and in so doing raise up a powerful witness to His glory and providence; and an advocate for the life of every human being created in God's image. These are my daily prayers and I hope they will be yours as well.

Rick Warren's Prayer

I am thankful for Rick Warren's prayer. I am thankful that President Obama asked him to pray at the inauguration and that his prayer was distinctly Christian and directed to the One, true God. Only in Him does our hope for this nation rest.

Here's the transcript:

"Almighty God, our Father:

Everything we see, and everything we can’t see, exists because of you alone.

It all comes from you, it all belongs to you, it all exists for your glory.

History is your story.

The Scripture tells us, "Hear, O Israel, the LORD is our God, the LORD is one." And you are the compassionate and merciful one. And you are loving to everyone you have made.

Now today we rejoice not only in America’s peaceful transfer of power for the 44th time, we celebrate a hinge point of history with the inauguration of our first African American president of the United States.

We are so grateful to live in this land, a land of unequaled possibility, where a son of an African immigrant can rise to the highest level of our leadership. And we know today that Dr. King and a great cloud of witnesses are shouting in heaven.

Give to our new president, Barack Obama,

the wisdom to lead us with humility,

the courage to lead us with integrity,

the compassion to lead us with generosity.

Bless and protect him, his family, Vice President Biden, the Cabinet, and every one of our freely elected leaders.

Help us, O God, to remember that we are Americans--united not by race or religion or blood, but to our commitment to freedom and justice for all.

When we focus on ourselves, when we fight each other, when we forget you--forgive us.

When we presume that our greatness and our prosperity is ours alone--forgive us.

When we fail to treat our fellow human beings and all the earth with the respect that they deserve--forgive us.

And as we face these difficult days ahead, may we have a new birth of clarity in our aims, responsibility in our actions, humility in our approaches, and civility in our attitudes—even when we differ.

Help us to share, to serve, and to seek the common good of all.

May all people of good will today join together to work for a more just, a more healthy, and a more prosperous nation and a peaceful planet.

And may we never forget that one day, all nations--and all people--will stand accountable before you.

We now commit our new president and his wife, Michelle, and his daughters, Malia and Sasha, into your loving care.

I humbly ask this in the name of the one who changed my life—Yeshua, 'Isa, Jesus [Spanish pronunciation], Jesus—who taught us to pray:

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name.

Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread.

And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil,

for Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever.

Amen."

Amen!