With the approach of another Presidential Prayer Rally coming up on the 20^th of this month, I am reminded of--and convicted about--my personal lack of faithfulness in this area.

I checked, and--unfortunately--Romans 13 still has no asterisk next to it. We continue to be compelled to respect those in authority over us...even those we didn't vote for, or with whom we don't agree! I recall how faithful believers were truly tested in this, back during the 8 years of the Clinton Administration. But pray we did...and continue praying, we must!   Because a begrudging, mumbled mention of a few rascally names once a year on the National Day of Prayer is not offering the kind of honor and respect the Apostle Paul was writing about. And by the way: a prayer that says something like--"Dear God, please defeat Hillary in the next election, Amen"--doesn't count, either!

Indeed...we must pray for God's guidance and protection for Ted Kennedy, Joe Biden, Patrick Leahy, and others we might typically vilify...as we pray for our president, as well. Oh, and those who generally complain about "W": this challenge applies to you, too! Rather than praying for impeachment, or something worse...won't you intercede for Mr. Bush...with a petition that he might be open and responsive to God's leading in every decision he makes, even if it doesn't appear anywhere on his party's talking points!

It's time to begin taking prayer seriously. Frankly--in a world that's increasingly being run by market forces, and opinion polls--we're going to need leaders that are plugged into something bigger than the next election, or their personal bank balance! We need to pray that God would begin raising up the next generation of leaders...people whose legacy is determined by their character and actions while in power...not by efforts to "reinvent themselves" later!   If we don't soon learn these lessons on our own...I am convinced that God is prepared to allow every kind of tribulation imaginable to pour into the lives of His children...that we might finally understand the simple truth: God is completely in charge, and provides literally everything we could ever need, even before we know we need it.   And that includes political victories, glorious sunsets…even our next breath.

So we pray for our leaders, as we pray about everything He chooses to lay upon our minds...eager to please Him, and with just 4 words in our hearts..."Thy will be done.”