Now Is Not the Time to Stop Praying

A long and arduous campaign is over and the American people have spoken clearly. Many of us have been praying. That is a good thing. But the election is not the end of our need for prayer. It's just a change in focus.

Ever since the beginning of my ministry I have included the president in my Sunday morning pastoral prayer. Twenty-some years ago that president was Ronald Reagan. I remember clearly a dear saint who came to me after church one Sunday and said, "I just don't understand how you can pray for that man!" I don't think that's a particularly helpful, or for that matter, Christian, attitude. For the sake of our country and our world, we need to be praying for everyone who is in a position of power, authority, or influence (see 1 Timothy 2:1-2). And the more power or influence they have, the more they need our prayers to use that power and influence in a way that advances God's kingdom.

Barack Obama may or may not have been your candidate, but he is going to be our president. And considering what our nation and the world face in the next few years, it would be wise to pray that he will turn out to be one of the greatest presidents in history.

How should we pray? The biggest need right now, it seems to me, is to pray for wisdom in the selection of key advisors, Cabinet members, and other administration officials. Then we need to pray that their decisions and actions turn out to be the best possible - even if we initially disagree with them. And we need to pray that President Obama, when he becomes president, will be able to properly handle tests and challenges that may come.

At the same time, we need to continue praying for President Bush, that he have a strong finish, and that our nation's enemies not try to take advantage of what they may perceive as a weak time during the presidential transition. In particular, pray that the incredible record of no successful terrorist attacks on American soil since 9/11 continue.

I want to close with a more personal note. Being a white male who had what I now recognize as a fairly privileged upbringing, I will never fully understand what the election of Barack Obama means to my African-American brothers and sisters. But a few weeks ago I had the privilege of sharing dinner with some African-American clergy colleagues (along with a clergy couple from Zimbabwe). Some of them had grown up in the south during the segregation era. They had been active in the civil rights movement. As we talked of the upcoming election, their grace and faith and sense of hope humbled me. With that fresh in my mind, as I watched Barack Obama and his family walk onto the stage at Grant Park last night, I found that I had tears in my eyes - as I did watching John McCain's eloquent concession speech.

This election was a turning point in history. When history starts turning, it is vital that when it stops, it is pointed in the right direction. The key to that is prayer. Now is not the time to stop praying. It's time to pray even more.