Praying for the president

In an old biography of William McKinley, the author noted the president’s assassination was on Friday, Sept. 14, 1901, “as were the two previous assassinations on Friday.” It was Good Friday, April 14, 1865, when Lincoln was shot in Washington, and Friday, July 2, 1880, when President Garfield was shot in D.C.

Then it struck me that the terrible event that traumatized my generation – the assassination of President Kennedy – was on an awful Friday in Dallas, Nov. 22, 1963.

This is one of the inexplicable occurrences of history, but serves to remind us that we live in a dangerous world.

The attempt on the life of President Trump in recent days was a sobering affirmation of the evil that stalks our planet.

The Apostle Paul wrote that “supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; for kings, and for all that are in authority… ” (1 Timothy 2:1). The highest authority in his day was Caesar Nero, a vile and despicable man. If Paul prayed for Nero, surely we can pray for our leaders.

I think we must pray especially for our president.

We pray for safety.

I’ve been searched and “wanded” several times at book-signing events and the like, and through the inconvenience of this, try to remember that brave men and women are charged with protecting our president. We must pray for the strong hand of God, too.

We pray for wisdom.

Wherever the president goes the so-called “football” isn’t far behind. This is the attaché case with nuclear codes that may trigger Armageddon. And we’ve all seen on TV and movies the “war games” that our president is involved in as he thinks through options in potential times of crisis.

I heard Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida several years ago when he declared that future wars may not be fought over many months, but over several hours. It was a sobering reminder that our nation’s leader needs wisdom every day, but especially in times of international crisis.

We pray for influence.

Theodore Roosevelt called it “the bully pulpit,” and the president has it. We’ve had leaders of faith and some of little faith, but the God of scripture declares that he guides the affairs of man. The pagan ruler Cyrus of Persia was called “my anointed,” though we don’t know that he understood who the God of Israel was (Isaiah 45:1). But God used him to bring the nation of Israel home in 538 B.C.

We pray that God will influence our president in his decisions and use his influence for the purposes of God.

Every Christian is commanded of God to pray for all in authority, and we must obey.

Reflections is a weekly faith column written by Michael J. Brooks, pastor of the Siluria Baptist Church, Alabaster, Alabama. The church’s website is siluriabaptist.com.