Inauguration and Intercession

I am quite certain that even the biggest political junkies among us reached a point last year when they said, “Enough, already! Let’s vote!” It was as tough and rancorous a campaign as I can remember in my lifetime.

Well, the vote has been taken. And whether you agree with the politics of the outgoing president or of the incoming administration, surely it is in our nation’s best interest to ask God to bless our elected leaders… with wisdom and virtue and courage and nobility. In fact, we all, as believers, have a common responsibility: to pray… the Apostle Paul says so! And remember, when he enjoined his readers to pray for their leaders, Nero was sitting on the throne—one of the craziest, most blood-thirsty men to ever wield power!

We continue in our sermon series, “in·ter·cede,” where each week we will spotlight a specific area on which to focus our prayers. This week, we will pray for our nation. We have contacted our elected leaders, both statewide and federal, and solicited their specific prayer requests to be included in a prayer guide you will find in your weekend bulletin. We will lift these needs before the Lord as we pray that we will be, truly, one nation under God.

Over the years, I have traveled to Communist nations where all religion was unwelcome—Muslim nations where Christianity was unwelcome and a Hindu nation where Jesus was simply one of millions of gods. It is so easy for us to take for granted the gift of living in a nation that was formed on Judeo-Christian principles. This week, we will try and take it less for granted. I hope you will join me as we pray for our nation, begging our Great King to provide direction so we will continue to be a force for goodness and justice throughout the world.

Pastor Mark