Inauguration Prayer

I thought Rick Warren's prayer was really good. So I am sharing for those of you who didn't hear or see it...



Let us pray.

Almighty God, our Father, everything we see and everything we can’t see exists because of you alone. It all comes from you. It all belongs to you. It all exists for your glory.

History is your story. The Scripture tells us, “Hear O Israel, the Lord is our God. The Lord is One.” And you are the compassionate and merciful one. And you are loving to everyone you have made.

Now, today, we rejoice not only in America’s peaceful transfer of power for the 44th time. We celebrate a hingepoint of history with the inauguration of our first African American president of the United States. We are so grateful to live in this land, a land of unequaled possibility, where the son of an African immigrant can rise to the highest level of our leadership. And we know today that Dr. King and a great cloud of witnesses are shouting in heaven.

Give to our new President, Barack Obama, the wisdom to lead us with humility, the courage to lead us with integrity, the compassion to lead us with generosity. Bless and protect him, his family, Vice President Biden, the cabinet, and every one of our freely elected leaders.

Help us, O God, to remember that we are Americans, united not by race, or religion, or blood, but to our commitment to freedom and justice for all. When we focus on ourselves, when we fight each other, when we forget you, forgive us. When we presume that our greatness and our prosperity is ours alone, forgive us. When we fail to treat our fellow human beings and all the earth with the respect that they deserve, forgive us. And as we face these difficult days ahead, may we have a new birth of clarity in our aims, responsibility in our actions, humility in our approaches, and civility in our attitudes, even when we differ.

Help us to share, to serve and to seek the common good of all. May all people of good will today join together to work for a more just, a more healthy and a more prosperous nation and a peaceful planet. And may we never forget that one day all nations and all people will stand accountable before you. We now commit our new president and his wife, Michelle and his daughters, Malia and Sasha, into your loving care.

I humbly ask this in the name of the one who changed my life, Yeshua, Isa, Jesus [Spanish pronunciation], Jesus, who taught us to pray:

“Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen."



I also took this post from a blogger I read, Blue Eyed Bride... I thought it was a great post, and I completely agree!

"I'm really moved to see so many Americans joined together in Washington for a common purpose. I love patriotism and any time I see millions of American flags waving around I'm going to get choked up.

I am, however, disappointed that so many people are wearing shirts with Obama's face on them and hats that say "Obama." Why not just a shirt that says "America?" I am so tired of hearing this person be glorified and tired of hearing people talk like he is the savior they've been waiting for. He is a man. Just a man. I just think it's really unhealthy to treat a human being this way. He has big shoes to fill and really high expectations to meet and I think Americans are making those expectations bigger and bigger every day as they build Barack Obama up to be this savior.

As I saw all of the flags waving around this morning, I thought, "Wow. Wouldn't it just be incredible if that many people got together to glorify Jesus Christ? What if that many people got together and instead of shouting 'OBAMA', they shouted 'JESUS?'"

Can we have a $150 million celebration on Easter Sunday?

I heard Oprah say the other day about inauguration day, "What a day of rejoicing that will be!"

I'm sorry. Those are the words to a hymn. It goes, "When we all get to heaven, what a day of rejoicing that will be."

I'll be praying for our country, for the Obamas as a family, and for our new President. I hope these next four years are the best our country has seen. But I don't plan to praise Barack Obama after that happens. I will surely thank him, but I'll be praising Jesus."

I really pray that Barack Obama proves us wrong and does a good job. =) That's all I will say. It is a bit exciting to know that we are alive for this historical event.