| Shortly after
noon Eastern time today history was made when the
first black man was sworn into office as the 44th
President of the United States. If Abraham
Lincoln and Martin Luther King, Junior are
looking toward earth and upon these celebrations,
how happy they must be now knowing that their
earthly tribulations were not in vain. So many
have shed blood and cried tears so a man such as
this could attain the highest office in the land.
Love him or not, Barack Obama is our President,
and as such, deserves our prayers. But whether intentional or
through misunderstanding there are some who would
twist the Scripture and use the words of God in
as hurtful a manner as a weapon. I have the
source on file but will not directly link to the
article nor the website in which the following
statements are made. I don’t want to give
this person any more publicity than is deserved,
which in my opinion, isn’t much.
In an article
published January 19th entitled "Pray
Obama fails" the author of a
malicious commentary cites the Scriptures:
"Let
every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For
there is no power but of God: the powers that be
are ordained of God. Whosoever therefore
resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of
God: and they that resist shall receive to
themselves damnation. For rulers are not a terror
to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then
not be afraid of the power? do that which is
good, and thou shalt have praise of the same: For
he is the minister of God to thee for good. But
if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he
beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the
minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon
him that doeth evil." (Romans 13:1-4)
Then, presupposing
that our newly elected President is an "evil
ruler", though not yet having spent one
full day in office as of this writing, and
utilizing those verses alone, the author goes on
to suggest they give impetus to pray for
President Obama's failure:
"At face
value, it would seem the Bible is telling us
government is a God-ordained good and that we are
not to resist its terrors...Yet, nowhere does the
Bible ever suggest evil rulers are to be obeyed.
When the rule of men conflicts with the commands
of God, the Bible leaves no doubt about where we
should stand. That's why I do not hesitate today
in calling on godly Americans to pray that Barack
Hussein Obama fail in his efforts to change our
country from one anchored on self-governance and
constitutional republicanism to one based on the
raw and unlimited power of the central
state."
What the author
doesn’t realize is that with his prayer
comes the demise of America through the neglect
or inaction of our country’s leader. After
all, you can’t get one without getting the
other. Besides, the aforementioned Scriptures
don’t say what the author says they do or is
trying to twist into them. Yes, the higher
powers, in this case President Obama, are
ordained, or placed in their position by God,
just as Romans 13:1 says. But let’s look
closer at one of the following verses:
"For
rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the
evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power?
do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise
of the same:" (Romans 13:3)
Rulers aren’t
to be feared by those who do good, but by those
who do evil. Christians have a stronger voice
than any screamed from a ballot box...it’s
prayer. Would you like to be unafraid of those in
authority? Then follow the Lord by doing
what’s honest and right and you’ll not
only be a good citizen but also a good Christian:
"And
who is he that will harm you, if ye be followers
of that which is good? But and if ye suffer for
righteousness' sake, happy are ye: and be not
afraid of their terror, neither be
troubled;" (1 Peter 3:13-14)
God is not pacing
back and forth in front of His throne due to
President Obama’s inauguration saying ‘All
of his policies aren’t Scriptural! What am I
going to do now?’ On the contrary, all
is going according to His plan. Christians
shouldn’t fear the higher powers and pray
for their failure, we should continue to follow
the Lord, praying for God’s will to also be
done through our elected officials:
"I
exhort therefore, that, first of all,
supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving
of thanks, be made for all men; For kings, and
for all that are in authority; that we may lead a
quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and
honesty." (1 Timothy 2:1-2)
So Heavenly
Father, watch over, guide and protect President
Obama. Lead him through the path of
righteousness. Help him shoulder his
responsibilities and make correct, righteous
decisions for the benefit of America and
it’s citizens. And Lord, also open the heart
of the author of that article to the Truth of
Your authority. Let him see and understand that
You are in control. In Jesus’ Name, amen.
Keith
01-20-2009
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