Presidential Oath and Prayer -- "So Help Me God." 1-20-09

Good morning, Lord Jesus. All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to You. All who are in authority are subject to Your authority and positioned there by Your authority for Your purposes (Romans 13:1). And by Your grace, I willingly submit in trusting surrender to Your authority in my life today. … "As servants of God, live as free people, yet do not use your freedom as a pretext for evil. Honor everyone. Love the family of believers. Fear God. Honor the emperor" (1 Peter 2:13-17). Yesterday our nation honored with national pride our beloved Baptist preacher and civil rights leader, Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. With weapons of courage and the power of words, he fought for freedom in America. He fought for the hope and the dream that one day we would live out the faith of our declaration that "all men are created equal," that our children "will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character," that in this "the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh see it together." He fought to hold on to the hope and pursue the dream that "with this faith we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope" and "with this faith we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day." Full of this faith and hope, he prophetically declared: "This will be the day when all God's children will be able to sing with a new meaning, 'My country, 'tis of Thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing. Land where my fathers died, land of Thy pilgrim's pride, from every mountainside, let freedom ring! And if America is to be a great nation this must be true. So let freedom ring …." And today, our nation will honor Rev. Dr. King's dream and hope and faith, as we inaugurate the first black President of the United States of America. As Barack Obama takes his oath to "faithfully execute the office of President of the United States" and to "protect, preserve, and defend the Constitution of the United States," he will follow in the tradition of the Presidents before him who humbly called upon Your power and authority as their Source of strength to fulfill the task, declaring "So help me God." With one hand lifted to You and one hand on President Abraham Lincoln's Bible, may President Obama resolve to be a servant of God that we may live as free people. May he honor and fear God so that we may honor him as the leader of our nation that has come so far in freedom today. Let us be the great nation Rev. Dr. King hoped and prayed we would one day become. "Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a desire fulfilled is a tree of life" (Proverbs 13:12). Today, as one nation, praying as one for Your leading and blessing of our President, we celebrate the fruit of freedom, hanging bountifully on this tree of life. As Dr. King preached and praised, "Thank God, Almighty, we are free at last." By Your grace, in prayerful support of our President, we will honor You as a nation -- "So help us God." In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Subscribe free by email to Messiah Ministries -- MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Preparing the Way of the Lord ... Ministering the Healing Love of God" www.messiah-ministries.org 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 Daily Archives: www.morningbymorning.blogspot.com