A new president

I'm sure most of you saw at least some of yesterday's inaugaration. How could you help it? It was on just about every channel for most of the day. It was a pretty impressive way to welcome a new president.

In my six decades I have never seen the excitement over a new president as we have seen since President Obama was elected. I have never seen a man generate so much hope and expectation as he has. Maybe people have struggled for so long with financial difficulties and with the wars that the election of anyone new would have generated a spirit of hope, however I doubt that such hope would have been generated if Senator McCain had won the election. Maybe it's because this nation has just elected its first African-American to the highest office of the land. Maybe it's simply that President Obama generates that kind of hope through his presence and message. Whatever the source, this nation desperately needed a fresh shot of hope that things could improve. Reagan brought that with him when he was elected, and now Obama has done the same thing, and I hope it means that we as a nation have at least began to turn the corner.

Of course, not everyone is happy Obama was elected. I have seen some very hateful statements about him. I was reading comments on a Fox news article on their web site yesterday, and it was unbelievable what a few people were saying. No one should believe that this election proves that racism is no longer a problem in this country.

A moment of confession, I was one of millions of Americans who did not vote for President Obama. I did not believe he was prepared to be president, and many of his views are opposite of mine. I must also admit that I did not believe the Republicans offered a great alternative, but McCain's platform more closely represented my own views. Regardless of whom I voted for, I am excited about the hope and anticipation that many in our nation feel right now, and I pray that hope is fulfilled by the actions and decisions of our new president and his leadership.

As Christians we have two responsibilities regarding our leaders. We are responsible to pray for them and to hold them accountable when they make decisions we believe are irresponsible and unbiblical. It does not matter what political party you are affiliated with or who you voted for. We are mandated to pray for those in leadership over us, and I will pray for President Obama every day he is in office. I will pray for his safety and I will pray that God would give him wisdom to lead this country. Likewise, I will pray for Congress that they would also guide this country with godly wisdom. Because I voted I also have the right to hold our elected officials responsible if they make decisions I believe are not healthy for our nation, and I will do that as well.

One other thing I would remind my readers, God does not fly on Air Force One. President Obama is the leader of this nation, but there is One above him who ultimately holds this nation in His hand. The decisions made by our president and other elected officials may have tremendous impact on our nation and the world, but God is the one who has the power to turn this nation around to its former greatness. Yes, we need responsible laws and direction, but even more we need a spiritual revival that would turn America back to God. Such revival will not come from Washington, but must begin in the churches throughout this nation. Only as our churches begin to experience true revival can it begin to spread out to our communities and across this nation.

Friends, pray for our new president and congress, and pray that God would pour out His Spirit upon this nation and bring a revival that would turn us back to Him. That is the real source of hope for our nation.