This isn’t late breaking news, but just in case you missed it: President Barack Obama was elected to a second term. I already believe the things people (including myself) will rant about Facebook and Twitter can be a little absurd, but what I saw following the election last Tuesday really made me think. There were people that were super happy. There were people that were mad/aggravated/upset. However, there was one thing I saw in particular that really stood out to me. I saw posts in which people were calling for states to secede from the United States. I’ve read that there are twenty-one states that have people starting petitions for this to happen. What made these statements even more shocking to me was that I was seeing this posted by Christians. I can understand being upset or frustrated about President Obama being reelected, but saying that states need to secede because of it is just crazy. You don’t have to be a fan, but taking it that far just seems a little much. I thought and prayed about it, and I honestly believe it is a very un-Biblical stance to have. 1 Timothy 2:1-3 says, “First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, 2 for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. 3 This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior.” The Bible tells us to lift up our leaders in prayer, not to bash them and hope that we can figure out a way to get them out of office. I think it is a pretty important thing to do because whether you like it or not, President Obama will be the president for four more years. There isn’t anything we can do to change that. So why would we not want to pray for him?
Now I am not saying that I am in love with everything President Obama has done in his first term; but I am saying that I am fully committed to pray for him. I will pray for God to give him wisdom, for God to bless him, and for God to give him favor. And I hope he is the best president this country has ever had. Why? Because he is my president. I have an immense amount of respect for anyone that is the president of the United States. It is hands down the toughest job in the world. How could I not want the president to be successful? Why would I want him to do a terrible job? That just doesn’t make any sense to me.
Let’s be real, in America we really don’t have it that bad, even with President Obama as our president. I’ve been to third-world countries; if you think we have it bad here, you should go visit one. Even if the Unites States crashes and burns in the next four years, Jesus is still Jesus. He is still the Savior of the world, and those that believe in Him will still spend eternity with Him in Heaven. God will always be our heavenly father and will always take care of us. It doesn’t matter who our president is, God will always be God.
So whether we voted for President Obama or Romney, President Obama is the president and we need to stand behind him and lift him up. The decisions he makes will directly impact us, so it is crazy to desire or expect for him to be a horrible president. To desire another Civil War is also crazy to me. I personally don’t think President Obama is THAT bad of a guy, but maybe that’s just me (probably not though since he did get reelected).
I hope that other Christians will join me on this journey. I hope that as Christians we can rise up and shower President Obama with prayer. Like I said earlier, his job isn’t the easiest, so he is going to need it. I’m not saying you need to fully support all his views, but that doesn’t mean you can’t pray for him. I wish all Christians would stop complaining and start praying. James 5:16 tells us that “the prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.” Pray for President Obama and maybe you will find out that in four years things turned out better than you expected.
until next time…
Hey Nick, must say you have written a very interesting blog. At the beginning, you wrote about Christians you know who had called for the secession of states from the Union. I must admit, I was one of those people when I made a comment shortly after the election was decided last Tuesday night. I said something about how North Carolina should lead the way in seceding. I did it jokingly as a way of expressing my disappointment in the election. Little did I know, within a week, people had actually starting going through with this which definitely surprised me. You said it was a very un-Biblical thing for states to secede. But I must ask, when our country made the decision to leave Britain back in 1776 when we wrote the Declaration of Independence, were our founding fathers make an un-Biblical decision?
Now am I saying that America is the same as Britain was in 1776, no I’m not. Am I saying secession should happen, no I’m not. But our founding fathers, many of which were Christians (despite what many claim, a great number of them were), wanted what was best for themselves and the people they lived alongside of. That’s what the South did in 1861 when they left. Were they right to leave then? Who knows. People in the North claimed God was on their side and people in the South claimed God was on their side. But that is a discussion for a different time. What I’m saying, is leaving your governing body an un-Biblical principle? What if that governing body was let’s say China where it is illegal to have more than one child? Does that change the story or is still the same? If it’s not Biblical, it is always wrong to leave.
Now that I have said all that, I must add, I agree with what else you have said. You said we as Christians should pray for our President. I agree with you 100%. He is our president and he has a tough job. I wish him the best but I also pray that he leads the country using the Bible. Am I happy he has four more years? No. But I don’t necessarily think he is a bad person, just a bad president. But my opinion doesn’t matter. America has elected him and despite what I think, he will be president again come January 20th. I will pray for him and this country just as you have urged all Christians to do and for that part, I fully agree with you. Thanks for the blog Nick, see you Sunday.
Vance you bring up an interesting question. First let me say that my blog was not to call you out, but rather in response to how there have been states with people starting petitions.
For my blog, I was really speaking to this election. I was saying to cause a revolt in response to this election is not, in my opinion, a response God would want us to have. That response has mainly come from many people who would consider themselves Christians. While I agree that President Obama has made mistakes during his first term, I do not feel that it is that extreme.
As for the Revolutionary War, I am not sure exactly how I feel. Looking at the context of the verse I referenced from Timothy, Paul wrote this while the Roman Empire ruled over Israel. We can also check out 1 Peter 2:13-14, “For the Lord’s sake, respect all human authority—whether the king as head of state, 14 or the officials he has appointed.” This was also written during the time that the Roman Empire ruled over Israel, and the king Peter is referencing is most likely the Roman emperor (in fact some translations use the word emperor). If we look at the history of the Roman Empire and how they treated Christians, it was not very friendly. Yet Peter and Paul still wrote to respect and pray for them. And Paul and Peter both were executed for their faith. I don’t believe that God desires for us to be subject to an inherently evil government, but part of me wonders if all of the problems with governments today can be traced back to when Israel asked God for a king (1 Samuel 8). God warned the people of Israel that kings would not be good for them, yet they demanded they have one anyway. God knew that form of government was not the best thing for the people, and maybe we are still dealing with a product of the sin of Israel crowning a king.
I wish I could provide a more definitive answer, but maybe that will help you out some.