Pray for the President

By Tom Quiner

I’m not a fan of Barack Obama.

Any regular reader of this blog knows I have trouble with his policies, his vision for America, and his integrity.

Frankly, I can’t think of much I like about him.

I am deeply concerned about the negotiations with which he is engaged with Iran. He seems too eager to cut a sweet deal for Iran to try to salvage his foreign policy legacy.

Having said that, I ask you to join me in prayer for our president. He needs our prayers. Our great nation needs us to pray for him.

I may not like him, but I honor and respect the presidency.

My 91 year old mother-in-law lives with us. She is no Obama fan. She is a staunch conservative. Nonetheless, when she was still able to attend morning Mass, she would always pray for the president, whether she liked him or not.

Most of her morning-Mass-attending friends were liberal. They reviled Reagan and Bush. My dear, sweet mother-in-law made quite an impact on them when she would raise her voice in prayer for President Clinton, when everyone knew she didn’t like Clinton.

Our president desperately needs our prayers. He is like you, a unique, one-of-a-kind soul made in God’s likeness.

I spent last night at our Good Friday service where the Catholic faithful come forward and venerate the Cross. Jesus died for you, for me, and, yes, the president. The Cross is a reminder of THE ultimate sacrifice that gives us life and salvation.

So today, in anticipation of the glories of Easter, I am praying for a man I do not like and trust, because a prayer for the president is a prayer for the well-being of our nation.

Let us pray…

My dear Lord, as I gaze at the Cross, I thank you for loving us so much that you sent your Son to die for me, and for everyone ever born.

I know You have loved me from before I was born, that you long to draw me closer to You.

I know You make each person in Your Image, and that each person is a unique, unrepeatable miracle.

I know that You listen to my every thought and word, and You know that I don’t always listen back very well. Help me to listen better.

I have a special prayer request today, Lord. I’d like to pray for our president. Please guide him. Please give him wisdom. Please keep him safe from our nation’s enemies.

I pray that his words and actions honor this country’s great legacy of the recognition of fundamental human rights, rights that flow from You.

Dear God in heaven, I pray for you to intercede in the affairs of this country and the world to protect human life, to protect human liberty, and to protect human pursuit of happiness.

That is why I pray for our president on the eve of Your Son’s resurrection, an event that enshrined these sacred rights in heaven and on earth.

The president has the power to make a difference. Show him the way.

Amen.