Today is a historic day of which no one can deny. Barak Obama will be sworn in office in just a few minutes from my typing this blog. What an amazing reality for our nation when you need look just a few decades back to a time when this day seemed highly unlikely.
We celebrated, yesterday, Martin Luther King's birthday and were once again reminded of his great dream for the equality of man in our country. No more appropriate time then today for this inauguration to take place.
President-elect, in just a few minutes to be called President Obama, was not my choice for president and was in fact probably my last choice of all the serious candidates offered a year ago.
I have even been called a racist because I didn't support him or vote for him. That's like calling me a vegetarian if I don't like steak. His race had absolutely nothing to do with my choice or non-choice of him as our president. In fact if race was an issue for any white person, they would need only to consider that he was birthed by a white woman and raised by her and his white grandparents. However, that was not and is not an issue for me.
My problem is his liberalism, having been labeled as THE most liberal senator in the U.S. Senate and the fact that he had and has so very little experience. He had barely begun serving as a senator when he was beginning an all out campaign for the presidency. He is pro abortion even to the extent of partial birth abortion which I cannot understand for the life of me is not a murderous act punishable by the same consequences as killing someone 30 seconds after they are born as opposed to before they were born. I could list many other reasons that I could not support him with my vote and will not (unless there are some drastic changes in 4 years in his platform) in four years from now.
HOWEVER, he is my president now and will be for at least four years and I will stand by him as an American and I will fervently pray for him regularly. I Peter 2:13-17 is God's command to me as a Christian to pray for and honor my leader and that I will do to the best of my ability.
For the first time since Truman, I think, the sitting president will not have the benefit of regular counsel from Billy Graham as his health and age have closed that chapter. I truly hope that President Obama will solicit the counsel of Rick Warren or someone of his strong convictions.
Obama received, overwhelmingly, the voice of our nation on election day and deserves this position based on the will of the people. It is a wonderful story of the American dream. Congratulations Mr. President! My prayers are with you and your family.
May God continue to Bless America!
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2 comments:
Your gracious post is evident of the manner in which Conservatives tend to disagree with their opposition. Respectful dissent.
I must admit, respectful dissent right now is extremely difficult. After the hatchet job that the media ran against Gov. Palin and the 8 years of blatant disrespect that those on the left showed to President Bush, it is very, very tempting to "return the favor." Just today, the crowd chanting "hey hey goodbye" to President Bush as he approached Obama during the inauguration was infuriating. I can only imagine the response from the left had Conservatives pulled such a stunt.
That said I realize that to return the behavior in kind is not the best response. As a Christian, I know that God is sovereign in all things, even if I don't understand why a particular situation was allowed to unfold in the way that it did. As Christians we can take solace in the fact that God is in control and that He has His reasons for everything that happens. We are all but visitors in this land anyway.
After God revealed King Nebuchadnezzar's dream to Daniel, Daniel praised the Lord saying:
"Praise be to the name of God for ever and ever; wisdom and power are his. He changes times and seasons; he sets up kings and deposes them. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning. He reveals deep and hidden things; he knows what lies in darkness, and light dwells with him..."
We cannot, and should not put our trust in earthly kings and leaders. They cannot save us. Daniel recognized this, and so do I.
That does NOT mean that we give up on this world. That does NOT mean that we roll over and refuse to oppose evil. No, we have a duty to oppose wickedness wherever it may lie. We have a duty to fight for what is right, no matter the cost. I have very little doubt that Obama and his allies have an agenda for the United States that is at variance with scripture. I also recognize that I have a duty to oppose that agenda. I will do so, no matter the cost. We have a tough road ahead. There are many individuals out there who are opposed to Christianity and people of Faith and they are emboldened right now. As such, Christians and the Church can expect an increasingly hostile environment. Indeed, it is already starting. The stories are all around us. We had the Christian photographer who was brought before a "human rights commission" for refusing to photograph a same-sex marriage ceremony in violation of her beliefs. Then there was the case of the Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association in New Jersey that was targeted for upholding Biblical standards. Then there are the cases of threats and violence that were directed at Christians and Churches in the wake of the passage of Proposition 8 in California. Even Gov. Palin had her home Church struck by an arsonist in Alaska.
But our God isn't just God during the good times in life. He is a God during the good and the bad, through thick and thin, in the face of adversity and during our triumphs. Since he is our God, we can boldly stand firm in the faith, and steadfastly oppose evil.
With that in mind, I will oppose any agenda that Obama and his allies advance that is in variance with scripture. I will oppose any attempts to silence people of faith, or to enlist government force against the Church.
During my opposition, I will continually pray for President Obama. I will pray that he will seek God's plan for his life and our nation. I will pray that God would open his heart and mind to pursue what is right. I will pray that he will make appropriate and righteous decisions. I will also pray that all of our leaders recognize that God is just and His justice cannot sleep forever.
Amen Ben. I agree with all that you have said.
I have spent a good deal of time today praying for Obama.
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