What do we do now???

Prov 21:1 The king's heart is in the hand of the LORD; he directs it like a watercourse wherever he pleases. NIV

A lot of attention has been paid to our new president this week and rightfully so. There has also been a lot of angst from conservative Christians about his social programs that promote blatent immorality.

After President Bush (II) was elected, there was a huge push to pray for him as he claimed to being a confessed Christian. That was good and proper, but how much more now should we being praying for President Obama? Admittedly, his claims of being a Christian in the midst of him promoting things like homosexual marriage and abortion leave a bad taste in a biblical Christian's mouth. However, instead of directing words of hatred or sarcasm towards him, we should be lifting him up to God in prayer.

First, we need to pray for him to come to Jesus in repentance. It seems like he "accepted Christ" in a church that preached only a gospel of social action but did not deal with the subjects of good vs evil, or the problem of sin. His foundation is faulty, so everything that comes from that is tainted by him having the wrong view of man, the bible, and God. Social Gospel or "Black Liberation Theology" that was largly taught at his last church deals with the concept that the biblical record records the struggle of the oppressed against the larger and more powerful elite, and that Jesus' mission was to bring freedom to those captives. It ignores the inherant evil found in every human from the fall of man, and limits the incredible love of God to only those who may feel oppressed by someone else, thus leading President Obama to be sympathetic toward social minorities like homosexuals or toward an "oppressed women" whose irresponsiblity lead her to become pregnant (which causes most abortions). He needs God to reveal to him the true gospel- one that exposes the sin in his own life, makes him grieve over it and reach out to Jesus as the only one who can save him from it and it's penalty- eternal seperation from God.

Second, we need to pray that God directs his heart. Irregardless of President Obama's eternal destiny, God can move his heart in whatever way HE chooses if, and only if, the people of God pray and ask Him to do it. 2 Chron 7:13-14 gives us a reciepe so to speak for God to move-

2 Chron 7:13-14
When I shut up heaven and there is no rain, or command the locusts to devour the land, or send pestilence among My people, if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land. (NKJV)

See the if/then statement- if my people (not the world, the church!) humble themselves, pray, seek God's face, and turn from wickeness, then God will forgive their sin and heal their land.

You could put Stalin, Hitler, or any other despot in the White House, and if the people of God are living for God and seeking Him will all of their heart, souls, and minds, he will follow God's will because God always responds to the concentrated prayer of His people.

We need to be focused on God, and not a man. It's so easy to stand and shout down a man instead of kneel before God in prayer and supplication. One is born of the flesh and produces fleshly results- strife, anger, hatred, and division. The other produces Godliness, contentment, and peace. Only one glorifies God, and that is the latter...

Which one will you choose?